During Manufacturing Day on Oct. 4, 2013, our Evanston, Illinois, legislators endorsed the theory that there are many good factory jobs left unfilled for want of qualified applicants.

But, as I indicated in a previous column, there’s not much evidence that this “skills gap” exists. Accepting the industry’s agenda at face value, though, has important policy implications—at the national level and here in Evanston.

Although factories are no longer a reliable source for good jobs, the “skills gap” mythology helps promote taxpayer subsidies for manufacturers. That’s been just as true here in Evanston as it has been across the country.

In 2010 Evanston-based Ward Manufacturing received $700,000 in tax increment financing (TIF) funds from the city; company officials indicated they’d be creating new jobs in Evanston and would look at “employing out-of-school youths.”

 …