Employers finding it hard to fill positions

Yes, you read that right.

Even as millions of us continue networking, sending out resumes, calling contacts at companies and applying for the same jobs hundreds of other fellow seekers saw, there are companies out there that say they are having a hard time finding qualified people to fill jobs.

The main reason why is simple: a skills mismatch between the requirements of the jobs and the qualifications of the job-seekers.

The problem is greatest in the sector of the economy everyone thought had become passé: manufacturing.

Many manufacturing jobs in America today are highly technical and require levels of knowledge and skill that rival those of the so-called knowledge industries. The trouble is, our schools are not producing graduates with the math skills, mental and physical stamina needed to do things like run sophisticated computerized equipment to make precision engineered parts, and many older unemployed workers are in a poor position to acquire such skills now, having invested so much of their time in those knowledge-sector jobs.

Compounding the problem is the near total disappearance of the traditional method of training workers for jobs in manufacturing, which was to train them on the job once hired. The net effect of this is to shut out the unskilled and low-skilled workers who traditionally used manufacturing jobs as a means of bettering themselves. In a case reported in The Wall Street Journal last year, one manufacturer of precision parts, unable to find skilled machinists, set up its own 10-week training program in order to fill 40 slots. Two-thirds of the first class of 24 trainees graduated to jobs with the company.

One year later, things are not much different. Many of those looking for work have what are known as mid-level skills - high levels of knowledge, and in many cases years of experience, but at a non-managerial level. These seekers are caught between the rock of lack of management experience that would qualify them for higher-level jobs and the hard place of being too skilled and qualified for many low-skill jobs. In the meantime, the kinds of skills and knowledge these seekers have is not the kind manufacturers are looking for.

In that same Journal article last year, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta economist David Altig estimated that five million more Americans would be gainfully employed if jobs were being filled in the usual manner. That figure translated into a nearly three-percentage-point drop in the unemployment rate. As experts who keep track of trends in hiring report that highly skilled manufacturing jobs are still proving difficult to fill, it may well be that today's unemployment rate is similarly out of whack. Maybe it's time to bring back on-the-job training.

Or maybe it's time you got retrained for a new career. The Education section of PhillyJobs.com is full of resources to help you get started.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for PhillyJobs.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on Beyond.com. Check out his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on PhillyJobsBlog.com.