Some of the best employees can be found among struggling competitors, columnist Jim Olsztynski explains.
All trades have suffered a severe talent shortage for at least the last 10 years. The simplest explanation has to do with unfavorable demographics and the proliferation of Americans who go to college, now upwards of 50 percent of U.S. high school graduates. Prior to World War II, relatively few people had the opportunity to pursue higher education. Most couldn't afford it, and nobody in their families expected it of them. Instead, many bright young people gravitated toward skilled trade work, which offered both prestige and high pay scales compared with most jobs in society.