TERRE HAUTE —
While unemployment rates remain at historic highs, the skillset one possesses plays a major factor in how long a person remain jobless.
Timothy Slaper, director of economic analysis at the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University, said a study published in August confirmed what many have known for some time, that a significant skills gap exists between employers’ needs and the applicants seeking jobs.
“It shows something that’s not too particularly surprising,” he said of the study titled “Major Unemployment: How Academic Programs of Study Affect Hoosier Unemployment Patterns.”
The study compared the unemployment rates, and duration, of various college majors. During the period referred to as “The Great Recession,” individuals who had pursued degrees in the industrial arts, consumer services and engineering had the highest probability of facing unemployment.
Architecture majors had the highest chance of being unemployed and also face the longest duration without works, upward of 26 weeks. Meanwhile, graduates with majors in the fields of health or life sciences faced the lowest probability of being without work and seemed able to find new jobs more quickly, according to the study.
Slaper said that in addition to a profound period of cyclical unemployment, the Great Recession is also demonstrating significant structural unemployment as many would-be workers simply don’t have the skills needed by industry.
Citing a recent study by Deloitte & Touche, Slaper said even recently there have been as many as 800,000 unfilled positions across the country, all for want of qualified workers.
“They tend to be more technical, such as computer-assisted design for example,” he said.
Bill Treash, president of the Wabash Valley Central Labor Council, said local unions are working to get more involved with public high schools, helping recruit students for training programs that could put them to work immediately.
“They can go anywhere from $14 to $35 an hour,” he said of jobs in the skilled trades, noting there’s considerable opportunity in those specialized fields.
Todd Thacker, business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 725, said their union is always open to those interested in learning the trade.
“We take applications daily at 950 Ohio St.,” he said Sunday afternoon.
Local 725 currently has 100 apprentices going through the training program, augmenting 560 journeymen in 15 counties, he noted. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED, a year of algebra and pass an aptitude test. Pay rates vary depending on experience and specific work performed, and range from $10 to nearly $34 an hour, he said.
The local currently has a lot of work under way at area power plants, and it is always open to applications from people who want to work, he said.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
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There are jobs out there, if you have the right skills
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