The shrinking job market post recession in the US has global impact . It affects immigration,education policies, social security costs and even crime rate . Notwithstanding the focus on STEM [ Science , Technology , Engineering and Mathematics ] based education by the US Government , there are many vacancies which do not get filled while the unemployment hovers around 9 percent or more .
The paradigm should shift from employment to employability and this can only be done through deliberate and holistic emphasis on Education and Vocational Training . STEM is a good way to go but it needs to be followed through and translated to employability – getting new employment, maintaining employment and getting new employment after getting laid off .
The hallmark of US culture is Innovation and Entrepreneurship . The genesis of this culture lies in the hard life of the first wave of Immigrants from Europe and it is still in the genes in spite of all the ” softening ” done by default through technology , entertainment and gastronomic pursuits . Why not everyone leverage this basic trait and create more jobs to boost the sagging economy ?
The above message has universal applicability and the US example is only a trigger to ponder about .
I read in a magazine about 50 years ago a statement by Aubrey Menen , the well known English writer of Indian parentage and satirist that one of the way to reduce unemployment in India is to employ the unemployed to count the unemployed! – A sound advice indeed in its essence !