Employers have moved from a time of “unusual ease” in hiring to now, when recruitment is much more difficult, according to a blog post by The Conference Board Chief Economist Gad Levanon and Associate Economist Frank Steemers. In late 2017, it took an average of 25% more days to fill a vacancy compared with 2007, according to the post. While the unemployment rate is low, another reason for the current recruiting difficulties could be that employers took advantage of the post-recession market, when labor was plentiful, to “upskill” positions by raising the educational and experience qualifications.