SOBERING

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(CBS) Job openings at businesses fell to 2.54 million in June from 2.6 million in May, meaning there is now five unemployed workers on average for every job opening.

 

There's a brighter spot in manufacturing, where some companies are looking for workers, CBS News Correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports.

 

On a quick tour of her family's factory, Linda Fillingham proudly shows off employees making the metal parts that go into some of America's biggest machines.

 

What's holding her machine shop back isn't a shortage of work. Instead, it's a shortage of workers, whom she's willing to pay $13 to $18 an hour.

 

"Thirty to 40 we could use right now," Fillingham said.

 

And she's not alone. The government says there are 227,000 open manufacturing jobs, more than double the number a year ago. One hundred eighty-three thousand have been created since December, the strongest seven-month streak in a decade.

 

Fillingham said it's hard to fill these jobs because they require people who are good at math, good with their hands and willing to work on a factory floor.

 

She's had to resort to paying people to learn on the job, like 25-year-old Matthew McDannel. The average manufacturing worker is more than twice his age.

 

"Maybe the work's too hard," said McDannel. "Maybe it's too hot. Maybe people just think about it and they're just, like, 'Oh, I don't want to do that.'"

 

By the year 2012 it's estimated this country will be three million skilled workers short, and it's not just in manufacturing sector. A recent survey found 22 percent of American businesses say they are ready to hire if they can find the right people.

 

"They're dipping their toes in the water, seeing if it's the right time to hire, but you also have potential employees doing the same thing and testing that employer to see if it's the right place for them," careerbuilder.com's Jason Ferrara said.

 

Fillingham hopes to convince a new generation that manufacturing jobs aren't a part of the past but instead the foundation of the future.

 

"You need to come up to bat and play the game if you want to be in it," said Fillingham. "It's there if you want to do it."

[Azazello1313]

Up to this point in human history, unchecked business has not resulted in the fair and balanced life for the workers that has been promised, no matter what the model (slavery, serfdom, capitalism, etc.) under pinning that particular economy.

 

well, the evidence is pretty damn clear which one has resulted in the greatest good for the greatest number. like I said, before the industrial revolution, 90% of all people in every place were dirt poor. only one economic system has succeeded in lifting those conditions for a majority of people. you focus on the growing pains of capitalism, when the marginal productivity of workers was still low and therefore their standard of living wasn't much better than it was before the industrual revolution. you look at that knowing that some people were getting rich on their backs at the same time and conclude that something was awry. your mistake is in comparing this early industrial standard of living to that the current abundance, taking all of the benefits of 150 years of a laissez-faire economy for granted. the more correct point of reference is the widespread poverty which proceeded it.

[dmarc117]

unchecked humans doing anything usually results in something bad.

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unchecked humans doing anything usually results in something bad.

 

If you need proof of that just take a gander at what happens when one party controls the legislature AND the executive branches.

[gbpfan1231]

Could we not just lower the average wage for anyone under 50,000 by 10% across the board which will inevitably make it cheaper to employ more people which will then create jobs?

 

Now the people making 50,000 and lower would not be happy so let's just take that 10% away from anyone who makes more than say 250,000 and write checks for that 10% right back to those people.

 

That way you get more jobs and the people are making the same money and all you have done was shift money away from the evil rich. This seems absolutely fair to me??? I mean if someone goes to college and works hard and does everything right to be successful and make 275,000 it seems only fair to give that money to someone who did not????