It’s time to call an audible. America is looking for tomorrow’s workers in yesterday’s places. Employers continue searching for people who arrive with the right degree, the right experience, the right résumé, and every skill required to contribute on the first day. Then we act surprised when critical jobs remain unfilled. That is not simply a worker shortage. It is a strategy problem.

The latest JOLTS report shows 7.4 million open jobs. Nearly 1.2 million are in manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, utilities, and construction, the industries that make products, move goods, build communities, and expand America’s productive capacity. Another 1.35 million are in healthcare and social assistance.