America’s job market looks strong. So why is it so difficult to find work? | CNN Business

On paper, the job market looks pretty darn good. The 4.3% unemployment rate is below both the 10-year average of 4.6% and the 50-year average of 6.1%. For the second month in a row, the official government tally of jobs added blew past economists’ expectations. And the most recent Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed hiring surged in March. So why are so many people struggling to get hired lately? Many of the challenges job seekers face today stem from a yearslong decline in job openings, which has intensified competition for available roles. In response, more people pursued advanced degrees hoping to gain an edge in the market, but for many, that hasn’t materialized. At the same time, major workforce cuts in sectors like the federal government have added even more candidates to an already crowded field. “When we look at that payroll number … that is just not reflecting what most people’s experience in the labor market today is,” said Kory Kantenga, head of economics at LinkedIn, referring to the April jobs report, which indicated employers added 115,000 new jobs that month. In April, half of the new jobs created came from healthcare, while the other half came