Donald Trump went to Wisconsin today to tout the virtues of apprenticeship programs, which he claimed would give workers the skills they need to fill available jobs. Fortunately, the NYT had a good piece by Noam Scheiber that pointed out there is little evidence to support the view that the economy is suffering from a serious skills shortage.
The skills shortage is a recurring theme which businesses and pundit types routinely use to blame unemployment on workers rather than a lack of jobs in the economy....Well, I would not say "always." There are other excuses for unemployment owing to lack of jobs.
Skills gap, lack of education, preference for leisure, wage rigidity, laziness — let's see, did I miss any?
This doesn't imply that I think all apprenticeship programs are bogus. They have a role to play, too. Apprenticeship is an ancient form of education that has proved itself with results.
Beat the Press
The Skills Gap that Always Explains Unemployment
Dean Baker | Co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C
3 comments:
"rather than a lack of jobs in the economy...."
It's just the business cycle ... "full employment creates unemployment". "stability creates instability" etc,... this is a great insight ...
Nothing you can do about it ... Darwin at work in the downturns it becomes survival of the fittest and the fittest are the ones who get the remaining jobs....
Pay the minimum wage for each worker enrolled in "training". Give them the option to continue their training until retirement.
Why is skill training a government responsibility?
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