The North Carolina Bankruptcy Information Blog

With the U.S unemployment rate holding steady at an unsettling 9.5% this past month— signifying more than 14.6 million out-of-work Americans—news that some of our nation’s industries are actually suffering from worker shortages may come as a surprise.

What’s to blame for the discrepancy between the near double-digit national unemployment rate and the dearth of workers to fill certain jobs? One word: qualifications.

In fact, according to CareerBuilder’s 2010 Mid-Year Job Forecast:

• One-in-five employers (22 percent) reported that, despite an abundant labor pool, they still have positions for which they can’t find qualified candidates.
• Forty-eight percent of HR managers reported that there was an area of their organization in which they lacked qualified workers.

…

While many economists say this decade’s Great Recession ended in the middle of 2009, millions of struggling Americans still working hard to find meaningful employment would definitely disagree…and now, the figures do too.

According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment report, more than 40% of the nation’s 14.9 million unemployed workers have been out of a job for at least 27 weeks, with an average member of this beleaguered club having been unemployed for 29.7 weeks. For those keeping count, that’s nearly seven months.

And with each passing month, it becomes more and more clear that finding new jobs isn’t getting any easier, with leading economists speculating that not only is the nearly 10% unemployment rate not likely to fall anytime soon, but also that the actual number of workers seeking full-time jobs is on par to grow.…

While the current economic forecast is considered by economists to be less dismal than in past months, many of the same economists are predicting unemployment will stay high over the next several years—noting that recession-scarred employers are likely to stay conservative in their hiring practices even as recession-scarred citizens continue their search for a dwindling number of jobs. Recent unemployment figures show that North Carolina unemployment grew to 11.2% in the month of February.

So, what if you’re one of the unfortunate many facing job cuts or recently suffering from unemployment? Here are five easy steps to get you back on track when time is short.…