Sounds simple enough, but when I was a younger man (1950's, '60's), I could either find in a newspaper a job that started the next day or the nearest Monday ... or I could walk around "industrial areas" (factories) and walk in, ask if there was a job, interview and start tomorrow or soon after.
The point is, there were places DOING things that needed labor ... skilled, semi-skilled or none at all.
America was hiring because America was building stuff.
I've extruded plastic into bags, bottles and caps.
I've worked with (no kidding) celophane when you could save cigarette wrappers, send 'em in and some kid or GI got an artificial limb made from the stuff.
I've bagged mattresses, worked on an addressograph, run a TREE mill, bench and engine lathes, drilled gun barrels.
Hell, there used to be work EVERYwhere.
My point is, we don't manufacture like we used to (for any and a number of reasons) and THAT is where workers should be.
In a factory ... MAKIN' shit.
I'm no wizard, but from what I read, Gummint regulations (and gummint sanctioned agencies) and taxes have killed all this manufactureing and PRODUCING enterprize and have reduced our "work" to, Do you want to biggie that?
I remember when Oakland, CA was full of FACTORIES where actual, physical things were being made.
What happened?
I agree with all of that. And with mechanization / robotics, what we do still manufacture here tends to require much less labor.
There is work. The type and location has changed.
Smartphone programming: nowhere enough software engineers.
Oil work: SD and surrounding states are booming. Word is even fast-food workers are getting signing bonuses.
Employment rate correlates with length of training, as does population density. Someone with minimal training in urban areas means high unemployment. Solution: get educated and move.