Despite the high unemployment rate, companies are finding it to hard to hire skilled workers. Some firms are attempting to remedy that situation by training current employees or new workers to do those jobs. While companies have spent money on staff development, this practice was curtailed at the beginning of the recession. However, those programs are making a comeback as employers attempt to build the skills of their employees.
See "Fine-Tuning the Perfect Employee", Lauren Weber, The Wall Street Journal, December 4, 2011