Help Wanted. But Not For Mid-Level Jobs

Two articles from yesterday about a possible "structural shift" in the U.S. labor market:

Private sector job growth remains anemic, but the federal government will need to fill an estimated 50,000 entry-level jobs in the next year. A federal job fair in Washington, D.C., drew thousands of hopeful job seekers this week.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. employers posted fewer job openings in March compared with February and slowed overall hiring, underscoring a weak month of job growth. The Labor Department said Tuesday that job openings fell 1.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted 3.8 million jobs. Total hiring declined 4.3 percent to 4.3 million. The unemployed faced heavy competition in March. There were 3.1 unemployed people, on average, for each job opening. That’s above the ratio of 2 to 1 that is typical in a healthy economy. (MORE: U.S.

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. employers posted fewer job openings in March compared with February and slowed overall hiring, underscoring a weak month of job growth. The Labor Department said Tuesday that job openings fell 1.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted 3.8 million jobs. Total hiring declined 4.3 percent to 4.3 million. The unemployed faced heavy competition in March. There were 3.1 unemployed people, on average, for each job opening. That’s above the ratio of 2 to 1 that is typical in a healthy economy. (MORE: U.S.

The U.S. economy gained more than 200,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent, the Labor Department said Friday. The news is a bit better than most economists had expected. But they say it will still take several years before unemployment falls back to a normal level.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Ezra Klein reproduces a chart from David Autor’s “Polarization of Job Opportunities in the U.S. Labor Market” (PDF):

The economy may be growing again, but not fast enough to bring down the unemployment rate. Long-term unemployment -- those without jobs for more than six months -- remains very high. And that has many economists worried about the effect on workers' skills. Host Liane Hansen talks with NPR's John Ydstie about an upcoming NPR series on the slow-growth economy and the effect on human capital.