Today's tight labor market and an expanding economy are making it tougher for many companies to hire people with sufficient training.
Many occupations are also more challenging than they used to be.
Deficiency rates were highest in the retail and wholesale sectors, at 56 percent, and among manufacturers, at 43 percent. Many companies, the group said, spend up to 10 times as much on technology as they do on work-force training. Less tangible skills are also vital. Those include communication and listening skills, anger management, conflict resolution, and the ability to develop positive relationships with co-workers. Honing such skills helps level the playing field between the privileged and the disadvantaged, said Sam Bryant, a Bronxville, N.Y., consultant who teaches ''life skills'' to people who are trying to get a job or overcome personal or professional obstacles they've encountered at work.