As an employer, how's the job market in your field?

Every employer has these issues, we use computers extensively and get applicants who have never used one except to play games. We take good care of the few quality people we do get.

In government and education, there is still no budget for new hires. We are still reducing the staff by attrition. The people who remain are grateful to have a job, but are overworked, and many things are not getting done that we used to do.

Just curious. How many jelly/employers are willing to subsidize fluthering in their employees?

Yeah, but how many unemployed people can afford the training? And how many people hire trainees with no real world experience? Who can afford unpaid internships when they have student loans on top of their rent and other bills?

Many specialised training fields – like nursing – tend to trade employees between facilities. So there’s a constant number of open positions, and many newly-qualified nurses can’t find a job because there are other applicants with “more experience” – basically, experience flip-flopping from one facility to another for years on end.

Makes one wonder why they bothered paying for the training. Then they tell their friends not to bother, because they’re sitting on an RN degree that isn’t paying them back. And the cycle goes on.

We have much the same problem. My company manufactures industrial equipment and we have a difficult time finding some trades, especially in field service. The trouble is that we need experienced people or ex-military technicians and engineers. Sailors (I’m a former ET!) make the best recruits because they are used to being thousands of miles from home and find ways to make things work.

@syz We’ve owned a boarding kennel for 33 years, and have hired vet techs, and wannabes, who want the hands-on animal care experience. Have you snooped around the better kennels for potential candidates?

Let’s face it, caring for animals is a labor of love. It’s hard work, and low pay to start. We’ve been surprised, given the state of the economy, that finding an employee who can do the physical work, follow instructions, and show up to work on-time everyday, is still the most difficult part of our job. Sorry I can’t offer more than commiseration.

We have apartments. Our property manager is always looking for good managers. She has cards she hands out,(I have to brag and admit it was my idea) that say something like, “you were caught providing excellent service. If you would consider a career in property management call me.”
She hands them out to waiters and waitresses, store clerks and anyone she meets who she thinks had the right personality for the business.

@Judi That is an awesome idea.

Frankly there do seem to be more jobs out there than the unemployment rate would indicate. I’m always amazed when an applicant asks a question like “Sometime i oversleep and will be a few hours late, is that going to be a problem?”

My husband’s company is understaffed. They need specialized I. T. people with direct experience in the work, and the salary they are offering is not competitive in that field.

Boomers are hitting retirement age and their lifestyle has taken its toll… the hearing health care industry is growing.

We can’t find enough computer scientists with an M.S. degree. German engineering companies are now heavily recruiting engineers from Greece, Spain and Portugal.

@mattbrowne, that makes me sad somehow. I guess I want German engineering to be German. I trust the German standard of excellence.

@Judi – Practically all our recruited academic immigrants are able adopt a high standard. Works the same way in the US drawing talent from all over the world. I also want German engineering companies invest in southern Europe. We should build solar thermal power plants there, not in North Africa because of its uncertain political future.