Ever since the the recession, job openings have far outpaced the number of people being hired. A common refrain from employers is that workers lack proper training and education for the available jobs–in other words, that a “skills gap” is to blame.

But the fault rest with employers, not workers, says a new working paper from Peter Cappelli, the director of the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

“These complaints about skills are driving much of the debate around labor force and education policy, yet they have not been examined carefully,” writers Mr. Cappelli.