by Scott Holloway

Created on: January 09, 2007   Last Updated: April 13, 2007

To reduce unemployment we first have to take a look at what "true unemployment" really is. There are people who are unemployed but fail to be a part of the unemployment statistic we read about. This would include those chronically unemployed people no longer eligible to draw benefits due to the length of their unemployment or those who are not seeking a job no matter what the pay or skill level.

We are all aware of the impact that cheap labor markets around the globe have had on our manufacturing sector. The standard of living which most of us enjoy has made it difficult for most companies to resist seeking lower cost alternatives. People layed off who possess a certain skill set are naturally going to seek other jobs with similar skill sets. Following a period of unemployment in which no suitable employment is found, a person is forced to look at other jobs whose skills are not a good fit or are lower paying. This leads to chronic job hopping and lower job satisfaction.

Then there those people who are in a cycle of not wanting to work because they can draw money from government programs originally designed to help people only temporarily. Why work flipping burgers when you can get almost as much from the government?

As a nation we need to come to grips with the fact that our dominance in manufacturing is likely gone forever. Just like a spear maker of long ago being put out of work when the bow was invented ( Ha! Ha! ). The key to survival was to learn new skills. The same is true of the people in this country. We need to invest in greater education for our schools to learn new skill sets that modern companies need. Companies need to invest in themselves by contributing greater amounts of their profits in training and education. This is a trend which is improving, but we were slow to do so for many years. Since we are becoming more of a service economy, why do many of us complain about a lack of service? Do we need more training on how to serve our customers better or do we need an attitude adjustment when it comes to our expectations? These are some questions which warrant more attention as we move forward.

We also need to overhaul the existing benefit programs we have in this country to reduce the abuses that take place. Tough medicine for a benevolent and forgving nation like ours, but it essential to our longterm health. Again part of this goes back to greater education and the learning of new skill sets. You have to convince the chronically unemployed and those not wanting to work that learing new skills will open many doors for them. We just need to provide these people with the tools and opportunities to do so.

It takes time to correct the mistakes and ignored trends of the past. We need to make the commitment to ourselves and work for the benefit of future generations. Isn't that what coming to this country so desireable to immigrants long ago?

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