Get a Job
My friends, I continue to be convinced that the only people who are out of work in this economy are those who choose to be. Why do I say that? Why I’m glad, you asked.
A new report is out today showing that for every person in this country who is out of work, there is a job available. That’s right there are now as many jobs open as there are unemployed.
MarketWatch reported that according to the latest data from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, there were 6.55 million job openings in March. In March, there were 6.59 million unemployed, meaning there are 1.01 unemployed workers for every job.
To put this in some perspective, during the 2008 recession, there were 6.67 unemployed people for every one job.
Of course, the big challenge is filling those spots.
Marketwatch also reported a separate survey from the National Federation of Independent Business found that 88% of the companies hiring or trying to hire reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill.
And it’s not just the national scene. Here in Indiana, according to the Department of Workforce Development, 105,808 people were unemployed and looking for work. And on Indiana Career Connect there were nearly 93,000 jobs listed, 92,824 to be exact. So for every job opening on the state’s website, there are 1.13 unemployed workers. And you know that’s a low ball number, especially since there are more job listings out there than on the state’s website.
And if even if you expand your search to include the entire Midwest, this is the only region with more jobs than unemployed people. According to JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover), here in the Midwest, there are 1,336,600 unemployed and 1,603,000 job openings.
I can’t tell you how many employers I come across who tell me they can’t find quality employees. And it’s not a matter of wages. Wages are increasing. It may not look like it on paper, because you have a lot of older workers retiring and their higher salaries tend to go away when they do.
So back to my main point. There is one job available for every unemployed person. So this is why it behooves the unemployed to take advantage of the numerous programs and educational opportunities so they can fill those jobs.
And we also need to incentivize people to find work and get off the government dole. I think one way to do that is to put time limits on unemployment and public assistance benefits, so you only get a year’s worth of help. But that’s another commentary for another time.
My main point today is simple. If you’re out of work for an extended period, it’s your fault. There’s a job out there waiting for you, so what are you waiting for?
