Even Economists Can't Decide The Cause of High Unemployment

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Unemployment is a concept peculiar to a cash-based, profit-driven society. Economists can't see the root cause of unemployment because they think inside the box. In nomadic or tribal cultures, there is no unemployment. Everyone has a place, and something to contribute. Everyone is valued; nobody is left out. Not so in our "improved" world, where there are winners and losers. Economists are part of the "winning" class, and have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo -- including unemployment.

rainfall2 of ME 6:08AM May 16, 2012

REASON: THE WORLD IS GETTING FLAT
Because the world is getting Tom Friedman-Flatter, all segments of America's work force are now more competing with the rest of the world for well paying jobs. Almost by definition, the bottom half of our workforce -- in terms of IQ, education and skills -- are going to have a lot tougher time getting employed at decent wages, especially during a recession.
While booming economic times masks this problem, this problem is only going to get worse with time, because improving communications and transportation technologies are lessening the place value of a worker.

stevchipmunk of PA 4:47AM May 16, 2012

RATE RISE 2004-2007 CAUSE MASSIVE UNEMPLOYMENT NOW!
Alan Greenspan has five folded earth interest rates from 2004 to 2007, pretending that +400% financial costs would allow to the supermarkets to reduce consumer prices. Real estate prices inflated because of financial costs +400% inflation, so normal people, seeing real estate prices rise, wanted immediately to buy homes. As every rate rise since Muhammad, it ended by a global crisis, due solely to the jewish lie to pretend that rate rise could reduce inflation. After the 30 glorious keynesian years, the monetarist liars took power for 40 miserable years, and, since then, every global financial costs inflation has 1) rose consumer price level forever 2 years after rate rise start, and 2) has dropped global employment rate forever 3 years after rate rise start. Only Japan obey to the bible: since 20 years, Bank of Japan reduce financial costs, and this did NOT create hyper-inflation, but price stability in Japan! Small Japan has also created as much money as big USA, and it did NOT create hyper-inflation! The only way to create hyper-inflation was to inflate financial costs from 5% to 20% from 1978 to 1981! Because producers can never pay so much financial costs to the banksters, they has all been obliged to rise the prices accordingly!

Jean-Francois morf, Charrat, Switzerland 3:08AM May 16, 2012

General population growth, longer life expectancy and aging baby boomers help explain the continued expansion of health care employment there is always shortage of employees in the health industry learn how to get degree in few months from High Speed Universities article

yvonne parker of WA 2:08AM May 16, 2012

Economist and policy makers need to look at what type of vacancies the private industries are trying to fill and start a training program, funded by the government, to match those unemployed to these jobs. On the job training at the actual vacancy funded by the government may be a good start. We also need to have more vocational schools for those that don't have the aptitude to graduate from college so they can qualify for a good paying blue collar work.

Peter of CA 1:11AM May 16, 2012

Would someone tell me where these god damned jobs that "no one can fill" are AT??

Michael Fisher of CA 12:38AM May 16, 2012

JOHN BENSON, you should have written the article, couldn't have said it better my self. I gave up looking for a job six years ago and started another business venture. While looking I would constantly find listings for jobs I was well qualified for, however they wanted off the charts technical skills, creative skills and experience, with entry level pay.

tom w of CO 11:26PM May 15, 2012

Ignore the unemployment rate. Watch the labor participation rate from the BLS website. It's been in a nose dive since late 08 and is not slowing down.
Forget the economists, the Fed, and the government. All doublespeak nonsense bought and paid for to keep all those greenbacks trickling up to those who really call the shots and pull the strings.
Globalization and automation of labor has left us with four decades of no real wage growth adjusted for inflation, while productivity has continued soaring like an eagle.
The sad fact is that in a nation of 300 million plus people, there is no longer a need for 200 million plus jobs. If a job can be done in China or Vietnam for 20x less, it will be. If a robot or computer program can replace a job, it will.
Yes, some jobs do go unfilled. However, a lot of what used to pass for "entry level" five-ten years ago is now "3-5 years experience for entry level pay". Just graduated? Better have majored in IT, engineering, or healthcare. 50 or older? You're too old. It's so much cheaper to hire a college grad desperate to start paying off those mortgage sized student loans. And what about all those fake job postings companies put up to research the available labor market or because they already have an internal/H1B hire in mind and are required to post an opening first?
If companies were really that hard-up to fill job openings they'd do what they did years ago. Train in house/on-the-job. I'm also sure entry level positions could be filled by entry level candidates. I'm sure the mailroom clerk/help desk support specialist does not need 5 years experience to hand out mail or tell people to restart their computers. Stop being so lazy, creating artificial job screening hurdles. HR, I'm looking at you.

John Benson of MN 9:57PM May 15, 2012

Business and it's Silent Partner ( Government SAM )
most often the silent partner is not silent at all,
at every turn Silent partner wants more & more
Business Plans
Business Budgets Short Term 1 Month to 6 Months
Mid Range
Long Range 5 to 10 years
Government Plans N/a
Government Budgets Who knows
Government Tax Rates As Much as Possible
Government Rules, that government makes but business has to live with.
International Trade Agreements
Import and Export Rules
Subsidy or no subsidy
Health Care or Obama Care
Comment, OPINION
These are only a tiny part of what Business has to look at if they plan on investing in this Country.
No investor in their right mind would want to invest
under these conditions.
Much of what the Government call REGULATIONS
ARE INSANE INTERFERENCE WITH CONSTANT
CHANGES, How can anyone plan when the law makers can not make up their minds.
If the Government can not give me a stable ten years, they may end up with 20 % not working.
And all of Obama's Shovel Ready Jobs will be mostly day labor jobs.
Obama lack of business knowledge is frightening.
Ex. we pay farmers to grow sugar beets, subsidy,
why? the world price of sugar is less than what we pay, so Hershey's moved one plant to Mexico from Pennsylvania, for cheap sugar, and send the candy back. he jobs are now in Mexico.
The Pirates of the Potomac ' Congress'
Admiral Scuttle ' Obama'
The Money Junkies, throw Our Money to the four corners of the earth and think nothing of it.
Now, I would guess that Congress is wondering how much to pay the sugar beet farmers not to grow anything, and how much to pay Hershey to bring the factory back.
Most of these clowns would only make a good door stop.

Vincent Lawrence of MN 9:16PM May 15, 2012

American Economics is completely broken. It does not take into consideration how the physical economy works. It doesn't even begin to think about how wealth is created from the standpoint of physics. Instead it just assumes if you create promises, enough wealth will appear in time that your monetary system does not collapse. This idea will be fully discredited in the coming years.

Daniel Swanson of MI 8:49PM May 15, 2012