[richardlong]

Right, GP is leaving out A. necessary skills, and B. the size of the labor pool (multiplied by the labor force participation rate).

For any given skill there is a labor pool with some participation rate, of people who currently have that skill, such that it is accurate to say that the market has a shortage.

Answers to the shortage must solve for either the size of the labor pool, the rate of participation, or the amount of people who have that skill.

Those answers vacillate between importing labor to solve the problem now, or forcing the market to educate people by blocking imported labor.

The problem with importing labor is that it reduces market incentives to educate people. The problem with not importing people is that it means you'll have a labor shortage until the market adjusts and people re-educate.

Easy answers, on either side, are snake oil.