The Unassuming Economist

At the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) hearing, Georgetown University public policy professor Harry Holzer said that “the ratio of job vacancies to new hires in manufacturing is higher than we find in any other major industry group, suggesting that employers are having some difficulty filling their newly created jobs (…) On its own, our system of higher education will not produce enough skills needed by American workers to prosper. Our education and work force systems largely operate in isolation from one another.” Indeed, BTE Technologies President Chuck Wetherington concurred with Holzer who said that “my job is getting a bit more technical. There are some micro and macroeconomic issues. Occasionally we have to recruit from abroad. There is a mismatch between skills and workers.” See the full article on the New York Times website. Also, a webcast of the hearing is available at the Joint Economic Committee site.