Re: wrong focus
yalanand
1/9/2012 4:56:02 AM
Maybe we should have used some of the funds we have spend on extended - extended unemployment benefits to retrain workers who have been squeezed out of dead or dying industries.
@Noreen, that is a very good idea. I think government can also revamp the education system. For example providing multiple domain knowledge rather than providing single domain knowledge i.e awarding multiple degree courses. For example students learning engineering will also learn management. This will diversify the knowledge of the students so that they can survive even if one industry collapses.
Re: wrong focus
yalanand
1/9/2012 4:49:09 AM
People who are unemployed need to understand where the jobs are and where they will be in the future.
@ProfR, Its pretty difficult to predict where the jobs will be in the future because technology is changing so fast. For example everyone expects cloud computing will be the next big technology which will create many jobs, but many fear cloud computing has lot of loopholes like security.
Re : Five Structural Issues in Job Market
yalanand
1/9/2012 4:44:42 AM
Those workers who weren't laid off in 2008-2009 are doing more than ever in the place of those who are gone.
@Scott, I totally agree with you point, that people are working more efficiently because of fear of job loss. Unfortunately companies are exploiting recession to their advantage. Companies are expecting that the employees will work on weekends also. I feel in the long this will lead to employee burnout and thus it will lower employee efficiency.
That's a good idea. And there are other options too: In NYS, lots of companies get serious tax abatements for relocating/expanding offices. And yet, despite these cushy deals that are allegedly based on potential job creation, there is no partnership between these businesses and the county departments of economic development/labor departments to encourage hiring of QUALIFIED unemployed people.
I don't think they should be expected to hire workers who lack the qualities needed for the jobs, but they should at least give priority consideration for the unemployed taxpayers who are also subsidizing their tax abatements!
I can't see how the government could be a good job trainer.
Maybe there should be some sort of privatized incentive voucher program for unemployed people. I.E., you can get 100% of your unemployment in cash, or you can get 110%, but 20% of that must be allocated to a voucher that allows you to enroll in some kind of education/training program.
I.E. incentive people to get retrained.
Re: wrong focus
Phoenix
1/8/2012 11:09:39 AM
I just thought I'd mention this apparently the Singapore prime minister is paid more than the American president. And recently they did a salary review if the higher government positions through a government appointed team. They recommended some pay cuts for higher government officials so that they were more in line with the salaries of the high income earners in Singapore. Some of the pay cuts are around 50%. The prime minister is also going to get around 36% pay cut. Even after the cut he will earn about four times the US presidents salary. And apparently the government is going to adopt these recommendations. What I find interesting is that the salary structure is directly related to the country's performance. The new structure has pay insentives based on the unemployment rate, GDP etc.
I'm skeptical if the DOL workers themselves, at least in NYS, have a good handle on where the jobs are and what skills are really necessary. Many of them have been in the same positions for decades--when resumes were printed on paper and computers were mainframes.
Re: wrong focus
ProfR
1/8/2012 8:09:18 AM
Phoenix,
Interesting. Yes, I think that is one thing missing in the US. We need to try better to match people with the jobs we have now and in the future. That would be a good way for the government to show some leadership.
Re: wrong focus
Phoenix
1/7/2012 3:44:29 PM
I think most unemployed people don't even realize that they will not be able to get jobs similar to what they used to do with the changing needs of employers. This message needs to be passed on to them and they should be given the opportunity to retrain like you mentioned. I have seen advertisements every where in countries like Singapore informing people of this need and where they can obtain such trainings. Most programmes are subsidized by the government. The problem Singapore is facing is their aging population and most of the advertisements are aimed at teaching them new skills to keep up with the changing needs in the market place.
Re: wrong focus
driven
1/7/2012 11:16:25 AM
That's really frustrating. You would think the DOL would be partnering with businesses to get people off the unemployment rolls, rather than shrugging off the desires of people to get back to work.
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