Filed under: Industry, Rants and raves, Competitive strategy, Ford Motor (F), General Motors (GM), Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), Employees, Getting started, Entrepreneurs, Workspace, Recession, Nissan Motors (NSANY)
There’s never a shortage of jobs. Some people have two or three jobs. The classified adds have thousands of jobs all the time — always. If someone is unemployed there is a reason and it is definitely not a lack of jobs.
Sometimes it is a regional lack of jobs, General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Ford Motor (NYSE: F) in the rust belt says of Michigan and Ohio have downsized, but foreign manufacturers Toyota (NYSE: TM) and Nissan Motors (NASDAQ:NSANY) in the Southeast have up sized. This does not help the states where jobs are leaving, and indeed causes other large problems like weakening the tax base and pushing housing and other elements of the local economy down. However, from a national unemployment standpoint that does not count.
In our discussions of unemployment and the economic picture we attempt to comprehend the government figures and attribute some meaning. We know the government is apt to put things in their best light (lie) sometimes and there is discussion about what a true measure would be, but does that really matter? It is more important that whatever criteria is used remain constant so that we can use the data for comparisons, not that it be modified often as people become concerned about the exactness of the figures.
It might be time we need to account for a new set of metrics. What are the costs of retraining? How could these costs be distributed without expanding government — not something I would support. We know that some people are not employable or are only marginally employable because they simply don’t have the capability to do many jobs. I’ve numerous jobs, even though generally speaking, I’ve created them myself over time. Clearly education and training are a factor, along with over all aptitude.
Some people are unemployed because of a life circumstance that reduces their opportunities for finding a job. Perhaps for a young single mom scheduling and eduction limits opportunity. Perhaps, a veteran with a disability that is limited to some degree. But my experience as an employee, an employer and as an observer of same, is that those that want a job do find them. It might not be the job of their dreams or it may be a boring job for low pay but the jobs exist.
I don’t have a solution to the problem of creating a work ethic or a high desire for education among those that are lacking but I think business people supporting local schools by sharing their time with young kids is very valuable.
The most important thing the employed can do to help the unemployed is communicate the opportunity broadly, be willing to offer training, and sometimes relocation expenses. The most important thing that the unemployed can do to help themselves is spend any time not working or looking for work educating themselves on the web or at the library or both, and increase you skill sets. Most importantly, I cannot express enough the importance of keeping a positive attitude no matter what — that can be hard sometimes — but it can make all the difference in the world.
Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the design and research principal for an architecture and planning firm. He writes Chasing Value and Serious Money columns.Disclosure: I don’t own any of the stocks mentioned in this article.
Entries (RSS)