US manufacturing companies are having trouble filling thousands of jobs, despite the millions of people looking for jobs. The jobs that are remaining vacant are those that require science, engineering and other technological skills. Companies say that they are creating jobs, but that they cannot find enough people to fill them. Analysts point to fewer college grads with the science and math skills needed to fill manufacturing jobs. The unemployment rate in manufacturing is 8.4%, with 240,000 job openings in August.
See "So many US manufacturing jobs, so few skilled workers", Lucia Mutikani, Reuters, October 12, 2011