As the Unemployment Rate Hits the Floor, Employers Need to Help Workers Bridge the Skills Gap

When it comes to the economy, one of the numbers we all want to see at new lows is the unemployment rate. So we'll offer three cheers for the new jobs numbers out Friday. The national unemployment rate hit 3.9%, the lowest level since December 2000.In our mind, there are at least two takeaways here. The first is good news. Fewer Americans are claiming new unemployment benefits and initial jobless claims are near the lowest levels since the 1970s. That means American workers are better off, even as some are still digging out from the Great Recession of 2007-2009.The second takeaway isn't good news, but we hope it will lead to new opportunities for the portion of American workers who haven't been inching their way up. And the number of people in that category is larger than the unemployment numbers might suggest.  Continue reading...