Worker skills and job quality

Some observers have argued that the nation's high unemployment rate during the current recovery stems partly from widespread mismatches between the skills of jobseekers and the needs of employers. A recent San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank conference on workforce skills considered evidence that employers have had difficulties finding workers with appropriate skills in recent years. However, these mismatches do not appear to be much more severe than in the past. Overall, the conference proceedings suggested the U.S. economy can still produce good jobs for workers at a variety of skill levels. ; This Economic Letter summarizes papers presented at the conference ?Creating and Employing a Skilled Work Force: Challenges and Opportunities,? November 7, 2011, at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Conference papers are available on our website.