Is The Skills Shortage Really A Myth.

The Real Problem? We’ve Stopped Paying Attention

We hear it constantly:

“There’s a global skills shortage.”

It’s the refrain of business leaders, recruiters, and policymakers everywhere.

But what if the issue isn’t that people lack skills?

What if the real problem is that we’ve simply stopped seeing them?

A System That Sees Data — but Not People

We live in a strange paradox.

On one side, employers say they can’t find the talent they need.

On the other hand, millions of skilled, driven people remain unemployed or underemployed.

Something doesn’t add up.

It’s easy to blame the global economy, inflation, automation, or the latest workforce-disruption trend.

But maybe the real issue is this:

Our systems fail to recognize value unless it fits into a predefined box.

Simplicity Over Complexity

We’ve over-engineered the hiring process.

And in doing so, we’ve lost sight of what really matters.

Legacy platforms are outdated and misaligned with user needs:

• Job Boards → Noisy, inefficient, impersonal

• Staffing Firms → Commodify people for profit

• Professional Networks → Mine your data, monetize your identity

• Freelance Platforms → High fees, race-to-the-bottom bidding

• AI Talent Systems → Locked inside corporate silos

What we’ve created are systems that process keywords, not humans — brilliant at parsing resumes, terrible at recognizing potential.

And yet maybe the solution isn’t some grand reinvention.

Maybe it’s something profoundly simple: Visibility. Trust. Opportunity.

Because when people are unseen, misjudged, or misrepresented, they’re excluded.

And when that exclusion becomes normalized, the very infrastructure meant to enable progress starts holding it back.

The Fragmented Maze We’ve Built

Today’s labor market is a maze few can navigate.

Each new hiring tool promises a shortcut.

Each job platform claims to be the answer.

But what we’ve ended up with is a fragmented, chaotic ecosystem where humans are reduced to static profiles, checkboxes, job titles, and degrees.

Their nuance? Flattened.

Their complexity? Ignored.

Their potential? Overlooked.

But people aren’t static.

They’re dynamic, evolving, multidimensional — and too often left behind just when they need support most.

When Did We Stop Believing in Each Other?

Somewhere along the way, we stopped asking the human questions.

We forgot that behind every job application is a person — with hopes, fears, ambition, and a story — searching for one simple thing: a fair chance.

This isn’t just a policy failure.

It’s not just a tech flaw.

It’s a belief crisis.

And despite everything, I still believe:

• Talent comes in many forms.

• Opportunity should be accessible, not hidden behind bureaucracy or bias.

• We don’t just need to build bridges between people and companies — we need to reimagine the foundation entirely.

What Kind of Future Are We Really Building?

The workforce is evolving rapidly.

But if we don’t take ownership of how it evolves, we risk shaping a future that doesn’t work for anyone.

Unemployment and underemployment aren’t separate issues; they’re symptoms of a deeper structural flaw:

A system that rewards conformity over capability.

A system that makes people invisible when they don’t match a template.

And if we, as adults, no longer believe the system is built for people, how can we expect our children to place their trust in it?

Are we really willing to keep pretending it works, just because it’s familiar?

From Problems to Possibilities

We don’t need more platforms.

We don’t need more duct tape for broken systems.

We need belief.

We need empathy.

We need to fix what’s broken — because it’s the right thing to do.

And above all, we need the courage to ask better questions:

• What kind of future do we want to create?

• Who gets to participate in it?

• Who gets to belong?