I think one of the fundamental flaws with American companies is that someone with "the right skills" means the person is a shoe-in at the time of hire.
I don't think that it's a uniquely American problem. It's just like that in IT in London, UK.
It's endemic in a lot of companies in the UK - I keep having arguments with non-technical managers about their insistence that people have to "hit the ground running" with a very narrowly defined set of skills (which usually turn out to be wrong).
The same people who take this approach to hiring then complain when developers get stroppy about only working on specific skills that will get them their next, better-paid, job.
I don't think that it's a uniquely American problem. It's just like that in IT in London, UK.