With employers scrambling to find and keep workers, they often must settle for less-than-competent talent. That means frustration for consumers who are more frequently confronted with sub-standard service.

• According to the American Management Association, 38 percent of job applicants last year lacked sufficient skills for the positions they sought -- up from 23 percent in 1997.

• In the quest for help, fewer employers are now requiring pre-employment drug, medical and psychological screening.

• With construction workers in short supply, the average time it takes a contractor to build a new home has climbed from 135 days a year ago to 150 days now.

• Fed up with poor service while shopping at retail stores, due to the scarcity of sales people, many consumers are avoiding stress by shopping on the Internet.

Source: Leigh Gallagher, "Help Wanted!" Forbes, December 11, 2000.