Sigurd, I agree that a lot has to do with who a person knows when it comes to getting a job. I would go beyond that, though, and say it depends on one's family name. I grew up in poverty. I was 11 when my dad finally got hired by one of the area paper mills. My family name is not associated with wealth. There is a stigma with that.
That is one of the reasons I don't really believe the rhetoric about rags to riches. I am aware that it sometimes happens (Larry King, Paul Mitchell), but I think that it is rare. I had been forced out of a job because the president of the board of directors wanted her daughter to have my job. It seems to me that most of the very wealthy people in the U.S. today were born into privilege.
I also agree with your stance on why we have working poor. It is cynical, no doubt, but largely true, but it also makes little economic sense since when we have more people in the middle classes, we have a better economy all the way around. Middle class people not only can afford to buy more goods, but also invest and help create wealth. The poor don't have that option.
Despite my story, I do believe that I will eventually come ahead. I have less debt than many people in this country, but I am relying on the economy getting better. I realize that I could simply go for another Masters or a Ph.D. and improve my chances of getting a full-time teaching appointment, but for many highly skilled yet jobless people, they may not have the same opportunity. Things will pick up for me as I will be teaching as adjunct faculty starting in October, but I still will be making less than at my previous job.
A couple of people who fit that highly skilled yet jobless description? I know of one woman who used to be Executive Director or the regional Girl Scout council who has been out of work for several years. She left her job at Girl Scouts for a higher position, and then was downsized. Same is true for a talented CPA that I know. This man got the city out of debt, but was still cut. The recent joblessness of highly skilled individuals may simply be part of this recession.
I think discrimination plays a huge part in this too. Issues of race aside, if one has any kind of disabling condition at all, no one wants to hire that person, even if their disability would not hinder work performance. The ADA, while good in theory, is unenforceable. It is difficult to prove that this discrimination happens, but if you live with a disability, you can witness it first hand. I bring this up because I believe it is one more group that our institutions consciously or subconsciously work to keep down.
Overall, though, I believe that mediocre workers are the most likely to get hired and hang onto jobs in this country. People don't want to hire people who are more skilled, more efficient or harder working than they themselves are. We champion competition so much that of course if someone who is better at your job than you comes on board, that is an immediate threat to your job. It seems silly, but I have seen it. That is what it truly means to be overqualified.