Every evening on the networks and cable channels commentators tells us how bad workers in America has it. They tell us of how workers can not find a job and many has given up all together. But let's look at the facts. The Labor Department this month annouced that unemployment is at 4.8% nationwide. Which translates into out of 100 people 95 are working. I then thought, that number doesn't seem all that high and started to look at it state by state. As you can see by this chart from Janurary of this year only 20 of 50 states or at or above our national average.
| State | Rate |
| MICHIGAN | 7.1 |
| ALASKA | 6.5 |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 6.2 |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | 6.1 |
| MISSISSIPPI | 6 |
| CALIFORNIA | 5.9 |
| RHODE ISLAND | 5.7 |
| ILLINOIS | 5.6 |
| ARKANSAS | 5.6 |
| MISSOURI | 5.5 |
| NEVADA | 5.5 |
| OHIO | 5.5 |
| OREGON | 5.5 |
| KENTUCKY | 5.2 |
| NEW YORK | 5 |
| MAINE | 5 |
| GEORGIA | 4.9 |
| NORTH CAROLINA | 4.9 |
| TENNESSEE | 4.9 |
| WISCONSIN | 4.9 |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 4.8 |
| CONNECTICUT | 4.8 |
| FLORIDA | 4.6 |
| MINNESOTA | 4.5 |
| NEW JERSEY | 4.5 |
| INDIANA | 4.5 |
| WASHINGTON | 4.5 |
| MASSACHUSETTS | 4.5 |
| WEST VIRGINIA | 4.4 |
| ARIZONA | 4.3 |
| TEXAS | 4.3 |
| COLORADO | 4.2 |
| VERMONT | 4.2 |
| ALABAMA | 4 |
| LOUISIANA | 4 |
| DELAWARE | 3.8 |
| KANSAS | 3.8 |
| IOWA | 3.6 |
| OKLAHOMA | 3.6 |
| MARYLAND | 3.5 |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | 3.5 |
| VIRGINIA | 3.4 |
| MONTANA | 3.2 |
| NORTH DAKOTA | 3.2 |
| HAWAII | 3.1 |
| NEW MEXICO | 3.1 |
| UTAH | 3 |
| NEBRASKA | 2.9 |
| IDAHO | 2.8 |
| WYOMING | 2.7 |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | 2.6 |
Then this month a number of stories were reported that made me crazy. First, on 13 March 2008, Bill Gates of Microsoft testified before Congress that we needed a “dramatic expansion” of the H1B Visa program to allow foreign workers to fill highly skilled technology positions at Microsoft that he can't find with trained U.S. Workers.
Next on 24 March 2008, The owner of the largest producer of fresh-to-market tomatoes in Pennsylvania announced that due to the lack of workers he would no longer produce this corp. He was paying his 175 workers and average of $16,59 per hour.
Then finally on 27 March 2008, the CEO from AT&T said that they were having trouble finding skilled workers to man 5000 Call Center jobs being returned from India. The issue they are encountering is that there is not enough high educated workers applying for these jobs.
In fairness I am from Michigan and would have been a third generation Chrysler worker but in 1972 after high school graduation I decided that the military is where I would make career and did. I am now on my second career and have experienced what it is to try to hire quality workers. My advise to anyone out of work is recognize the days of of making $50K a year doing manual labor is over. If automation does not replace you, the job will be shipped overseas where it will be completed for a fraction of the cost.
What is clearing lack in our country is an education system that prepares future workers for the jobs that will be available for them. We as a nation needs to recognize that education is an on-going process. I am now 54 and see the need to once again reinvent myself and I am looking to return back to school once again in the very near future. If you are like some people who hated school learn a skill that can not be sent overseas.
Sources:
Microsoft
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080313-gates-to-congress-microsoft-needs-more-h1-b-visas.html
Farmer
http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/24/news/economy/Immigrant_Labor.ap/index.htm
AT&T
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/27/att-ceo-says-hard-to-fin_n_93644.html
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