Stephen Moore, formerly of The Wall Street Journal and now chief economist of the Heritage Foundation, writes in The Daily Signal there are plenty of unfilled jobs out there, perhaps as many as a million. These go unfilled, he writes, because of impediments in the structure.
Moore identifies three factors that cause our 8 million unemployed not to take those million jobs. First, is a mismatch between skills and job requirements. Lack of math skills and reading ability would be key shortfalls.
Second, there are lifestyle issues.
Mr. Funk (CEO of a temp firm) cites figures that more than half of the applicants for these kinds of jobs in the temporary job market can’t pass a drug test. “They are unemployable in that case,” he says regretfully.Third, there are disincentives to work:
Jobs don’t get filled because the work lacks glitz and glamour. Too many Americans have come to view blue collar jobs or skilled artisan jobs as beneath them.Hat tip to Lucianne.com for the link.
Contributing to this attitude is the wide availability of unemployment insurance, food stamps, mortgage bailout funds and other welfare. Taking these taxpayer handouts is somehow seen as normal and a first, not a last resort. One owner of a major trucking company told me last year, “drivers who get laid off don’t come back until their unemployment benefits run out.”
