Article missing important details

To the editor:

I read the article in the March 15 Gazette 'Job market rosy - but not for everyone” and I have a few comments.

The article had profiles of some previously employed people who are having troubles finding new employment. It ended with a remark that if people have problems finding work ('…unless they have some outlier barrier, such as criminal history or disability…”) '…it is a skill-set issue.” That implies that the unemployed are solely responsible for their condition, yet the article does not provide any evidence to support that.

Indeed, one of the people profiled had worked as a comptroller. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines comptroller as 'a person in charge of the financial accounts of a company or organization.” Certainly, being a comptroller requires skills. How is it that such a person could have 'a skill set issue”? The former comptroller ' … requested anonymity because publicizing his long term unemployment could hurt his chances of being hired.” That sounds like a big contributor to the unemployment problem is the prejudice of employers.

The article also talked about the Corridor Job Club and mentioned the organizer. However, the article did not provide detailed information about where and when that club meets, nor provide any contact information for the organizer. It would have been a better article had that information been provided, as well as information about any other groups that provide assistance to job seekers.

Daniel Smith

Cedar Rapids