Publications

The Structure of the Structural Unemployment Question

Is structural unemployment—a condition whereby the skills appropriate for declining sectors are not easily transferable to jobs available in expanding sectors—at play in the country's recovery from the most recent economic downturn? A recent Atlanta Fed macroblog suggests that the more pressing issue is one of mismatches associated with changing skill requirements within sectors. Dave Altig, executive vice president and research director at the Atlanta Fed, describes the situation as one in which certain job sectors that previously required routine task performance are now demanding nonroutine tasks.