Occupational labor shortages: Concepts, causes, consequences, and cures

摘要

As its title suggests, the book Occupational Labor Shortages: Concepts, Causes, Consequences, and Cures, by Burt S. Barnow, John Trutko, and Jaclyn Schede Piatak, explores the causes, consequences, and cures for labor shortages using four occupations as case studies. It combines economic theory with national statistics and quantitative and qualitative survey data to identify whether each occupation is currently or had recently experienced a shortage. As the authors note in the first chapter, at both micro and macro levels, it is important to study occupational labor shortages. Having an understanding of which occupations are likely to experience job growth and rising wages will allow individual institutions to offer and their students to invest in more relevant programs of study. At the macro level, accurate information is a prerequisite for good policy. It is essential that elected officials understand the extent of current occupational shortages as well as the likelihood of future ones if they are to develop effective solutions to current labor market issues.