A Lot of ‘Unskilled’ Workers Actually Aren’t: Betsey Stevenson

Labor Day is an appropriate moment to consider the term “unskilled.” Economists have used it for as long as I can remember, and at some point, I became numb to it, thinking it was just a neutral classification. But it’s not neutral — it’s demeaning and misleading.

Often people have incredible skills; they just aren’t skills currently in high demand. Or they have valuable skills that are abundant relative to demand. Or they simply can’t find a good match between their skills and the market because of where and when they live.

No matter how valuable your skills are in ...