There is this joke, that fits very good: "If Carpenters Were Hired Like Programmers" [1]
In former days, the readiness to take people and train them on the job was much higher. In Germany this is a really ugly trend. The licence for truck drivers is very, very costly but the earnings of the drivers are very low. In former days the transportation companies educated their own drivers. Today, they don't. They just expect, that the drivers somehow have to have the education and come from somewhere. What is the result: The state is in more and more cases educating unemployed people that they can become truck drivers. They pay tax money, that the transporting companies don't have to pay for it ...
I don't think, that a "free market" has to mean that more and more costs have to been taken over by the state, but that is, what is happening.
Today, when you apply for a job, they search for exactly those skills needed. They are not ready to train you on the job or take people that have to do a lot of learning on the job. And also in Germany: They are not ready to take people above a specific age.
[1] http://www.jasonbock.net/jb/News/Item/7c334037d1a9437d9fa650...