There's something wrong with the US labor market

Business Insider ^ | 05/10/2016 | Myles Udland

[usconservative]

Why does this skills gap exist?

Because Companies don't TRAIN THEIR EMPLOYEES ANYMORE.

They outsource.

That's why.

I've been with the same employer almost 10 years now. I've not received a single training class for ANY of the technologies I have to deal with. I either learn them on my own time and my own dime, or I don't learn them.

Want to close the skills gap? TRAIN YOUR EMPLOYEES!!

[Rashputin]

Western North Carolina, Northwest South Carolina, and the Eastern Tennessee area which are the areas I'm familiar enough with to know about.

I have friends who manage Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Staples, McDonald's, Bojangles, and Walgreen's stores as well as a couple of non-franchise restaurants.

Believe what you like, but drug use is so widespread now it's the norm, not the exception these days. At least for people thirty years old and younger.

[Eisenhower Republican]

"How many people hear high school students say they want to become machinists?"

More than you might think, it turns out. A professor did an informal survey in a classroom I was in. He asked how many people (engineering students) would want to take a full semester class on the subject. About 90% of the room raised their hands.

Machining classes are expensive to provide, so very few schools do anymore.

[EVO X]

Anyone over 50 could forget it.

50 is about the age when a fair amount of people start having costly medical issues. If health benefits are involved, I would suspect the company will take the risk if they are in dire need of the skill set. Otherwise, why take the risk on an older hire and their spouse?