Skills Shortage Means Many Jobs Go Unfilled

Career College Central Summary:

About 33% of 848 small-business owners and chief executives said they had unfilled job openings in June because they couldn't identify qualified applicants, up from 31% of 811 owners nearly two years ago, according to surveys by The Wall Street Journal and Vistage International, a San Diego peer advisory group for executives. During this period, owners' confidence in the economy increased.
The tightening of the labor market is one factor, according to economists. The unemployment rate in June was 6.1%, down from 8.2% two years ago. A shortage of workers with the right skills and experience is also a major impediment.
In the latest WSJ/Vistage survey, 35% of 270 services businesses said they couldn't identify qualified candidates, versus 12% of the 135 manufacturing firms, and 8% of 85 wholesale trade businesses.
Overall, 43% of small-business owners said unfilled jobs were impeding their businesses from growth or expansion, compared with 39% in 2012.
Karla Daniel, co-owner of a 20-person company that sells and services power equipment…"We used to get a lot of technicians from the farming community, but there aren't as many farmers anymore," says Ms. Daniel… "It's hard to find anybody with mechanical ability."…She even offers to foot the $5,000 expense for entry-level recruits to participate in a three-year training program from a vendor while on the clock. Few people take advantage of the perk, she says, or they quit after just a few weeks.

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