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Posts tagged business

Jun 15

darkjez:

Wharton Professor: Employers Want Top Skills At Low Wages and That’s Why You Don’t Have A Job

CROOKS & LIARS—

From the Economic Populist, this piece explains how automated software is screening qualified people out of the job application process. While Mr. Cappelli is saying that companies are short-staffed and using software because of the overwhelming volume of applications, the real problem is that employers are demanding unrealistic qualifications and then blaming the applicant pool and the schools for the fact that they’re not offering enough of a salary to attract the high skill level they want.

This isn’t specific to this recession. When I was a recruiter, I saw employers turn into petty tyrants after 9/11, demanding absurd combinations of skill sets at lower wages because they were convinced they had the upper hand. Now, large corporations are using the inability to get qualified workers at slave wages as an excuse to bring in lower-paid workers from other countries. Progress!

Finally someone speaks the truth about U.S. employers claiming they just can’t find people for job openings. Wharton Business School Professor Peter Cappelli has analyzed why employers dare to claim they cannot find people to hire when the United States has over 27 million people needing a job.

There is no skills shortage, none. In fact employers are being absolutely ridiculous in their hiring practices. It’s so bad, employers use software and third party rejection job application websites, which pretty much guarantee a candidate will be rejected. These websites and software are like virtual wastebaskets for your resume. No human involved, it’s automatic, guaranteed rejection. It’s so bad, an HR executive applied for his own job and was rejected.

[READ MORE]

Grrrrrrrrrrr.

This pretty much confirms my concerns—that corporations think they deserve all the money and none of the responsibility. They don’t see what they do as being part of a symbiotic relationship between them and society. If they don’t hire people, the entire economy suffers, including them—but I suppose they have so much money it’ll be a while before they notice how they’re being hurt. Lovely system we have here >_<

The only good news is that eventually this system won’t be able to sustain itself and it will collapse. With “good news” like that who needs enemies?

Dec 19

As if you needed another reason to be skeptical of a Harvard B-school grad running for president:

motherjones:

GAFFNEY, S.C. — More than two decades ago, Mitt Romney’s business venture came to town with a bounty of highly anticipated manufacturing jobs. The new plant, just past the gas station off Interstate 85, needed skilled workers to churn out thousands of photo albums.

Four years later, the Holson Burns Group Inc. — the company controlled by Romney’s Bain Capital LLC — closed the factory and laid off about 150 workers. Some jobs were sent north, where months later many of those were also eliminated. Other operations went overseas.

But Bain walked away with millions in profits…

— “As Romney’s Firm Profited in SC, Jobs Disappeared.” A must-read.

Why is this a big deal? Capitalism does this all the time. It’s pretty much the point of capitalism. While most candidates don’t have a history of specifically laying off workers and “streamlining” businesses to maximize profits, every single candidate who spent any time in the private sector will have been tasked with finding the best way to exploit resources and labor to make the most money possible. The average business person is guilty of that because that’s the nature of capitalism. So, I say, whether it’s Romney or some other (effectively) white man in a suit, what difference does it make?

I’m getting pretty tired of both “sides” in the media trying to fear monger as though Obama might not win a second term. It’s all a big fat waste of time. Obama would have to be caught on camera feeding puppies into a meat grinder to screw this up. Say what you will about the Democrats but even Obama isn’t dumb enough to let that happen.