A common view among the left is that the “skills gap” – a shortage of workers with the skills employers want – is a mirage.
A new PPI report decisively debunks this myth. As author Ryan Craig explains, the skills gap is real: employers are having trouble finding enough workers with digital skills and “soft skills.”
Craig attributes these shortages to two factors: “Education friction” – the failure of higher education institutions to turn out job-ready graduates — and “hiring friction” – digital screening practices that cause employers to overlook qualified workers.
Craig offers a fresh take on why skills gaps persist, the consequences for economic growth and what he calls “economic alienation” among workers feeling left behind in today’s economy.
