The U.S. labor market is as tight as it has been since the Great Recession, with unemployment at 4.1% in December 2017. Yet employers continue to struggle to find the skilled labor they need. If job creation in the aggregate isn’t solving the problem, how can we identify and address the specific places where supply isn’t meeting demand?
In Different Skills, Different Gaps: Measuring and Closing the Skills Gap, prepared for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation by Burning Glass Technologies, we examine the skills gap on an occupation-by occupation basis. This is the best way to both understand the gap, and to close it. An overall surplus of workers doesn’t offer much insight into the challenges of a specific industry looking to fill specific roles requiring specific skills.
About Burning Glass
Burning Glass Technologies delivers job market analytics that empower employers, workers, and educators to make data-driven decisions. The company’s artificial intelligence technology analyzes hundreds of millions of job postings and real-life career transitions to provide insight into labor market patterns. This real-time strategic intelligence offers crucial insights, such as which jobs are most in demand, the specific skills employers need, and the career directions that offer the highest potential for workers.
