This article by Laura Clawson of The Daily Kos does a good job debunking the myth that people are unemployed because they lack the skills needed by companies with jobs. Yes, some of that actually exists, especially in the area of engineering jobs, but that is not the case in many other types of jobs where there are many more unemployed workers than before the "W" crash of 2007-08.
Comments
There's lots of unemployed engineers out there especially in tech. The problem? Age. The younger run tech companies don't want to hire "grampa" because he doesn't "fit" their culture. Or he wants too much money. Or his health benefits will cost more which if we had passed a single payer health bill would not matter.
more on this topic :
Don’t Blame the Skills Mismatch for the Slow Recovery
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-29/don-t-blame-the-skills-mismatch-for-the-slow-recovery.html