<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>LabDaddy1 wrote:</div>
Saw a sign at a local liquor store that said “Good help wanted- starting at $10/hr!”Good luck with that
After knowing a handful of people who’ve worked at liquor stores I don’t think the pay is why they work there.
You mean you know people who enjoy getting held up at gunpoint for $10 an hour?
I guess there are 2 ways to make it a laborers market… I prefer the way it was in 2018… couldn’t hire anyone unless you overpaid positions and the economy was booming… consumer confidence was thru the roof !
Covid isn’t the only thing driving hourly wages up for low skill jobs. There has been a movement for over ten years to drive wages up. Many large cities put $15 minimum wages (or the path to get there) in motion pre-pandemic.
A tight labor market has accelerated the change which is better than government interdiction on wages. Supply and demand should drive wages.
Things will settle down eventually but wages won’t fall back from the current floor. Frankly, this is a good thing long term. Higher wages create more wealth, which drives spending, confidence and a larger tax base. I’m not going to argue if the taxes are spent wisely.
$15 is barely a livable wage and people living below the poverty is worse long term than a tight labor market.
You all don’t think rents are going up along with the price of everything else? LOL. you can set the minimum at $30 a hour and poor will still be poor. The only way out is finding better higher paying jobs. Maybe through education maybe by moving to area’s with higher paying jobs.
You all don’t think rents are going up along with the price of everything else? LOL. you can set the minimum at $30 a hour and poor will still be poor. The only way out is finding better higher paying jobs. Maybe through education maybe by moving to area’s with higher paying jobs.
If everyone gets higher education to get better paying jobs, who’s gonna make you caramel macchiato? Who’s gonna supersize your quarter pounder? Who’s gonna bag your groceries?
What you’re suggesting is exactly a big part of the problem. There’s not enough skilled jobs available. There’s a massive overabundance of the “unskilled” jobs out there. These are jobs created by massive corporations who own a huge portion of the wealth in this country. They are the companies that pay the least. Why? Because they lobby to make sure their employees can’t make livable wages and make sure they are subsidized by the government.
Walmart sure as hell isn’t going to feel bad if their employees are on government assistance, but your small business get a bad name if they don’t pay livable wages. They can’t compete with Walmart on prices or wages. It’s capitalism with a massive dose of socialism.
there are all kinds of good paying jobs out there…….the trades are looking for people. get into welding, construction…yea manual skilled labor…. they cant find them.
Walmart sure as hell isn’t going to feel bad if their employees are on government assistance, but your small business get a bad name if they don’t pay livable wages. They can’t compete with Walmart on prices or wages. It’s capitalism with a massive dose of socialism.
This is what I don’t get about all the people who complain about “freeloaders”. Read the GAO report on this: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-45
Your tax dollars are actually subsidizing the ability of multibillion corporations to underpay people.
When it comes to SNAP and Medicaid “approximately 70 percent of adult wage earners in both programs worked full-time hours (i.e., 35 hours or more) on a weekly basis and about one-half of them worked full-time hours annually “
Your tax dollars are actually subsidizing the ability of multibillion corporations to
underpay peopleget powerful, rich and eliminate their competition.
Fixed it for you.
It’s seems wonderful to buy cheap stuff but when your tax dollars are diverted to house feed their employees, it’s going to cost us all more in the end.
Shall we talk about healthcare now?
If everyone gets higher education to get better paying jobs, who’s gonna make you caramel macchiato? Who’s gonna supersize your quarter pounder? Who’s gonna bag your groceries?
Teenagers
If everyone gets higher education to get better paying jobs, who’s gonna make you caramel macchiato? Who’s gonna supersize your quarter pounder? Who’s gonna bag your groceries?
Teenagers
Yes, it’s called entry level. It’s where you learn how to work while continuing your education in most cases. From there you move up into higher paying jobs.
Damn deadbeat teenagers. No wonder why there’s a labor shortage.
Are fewer teens working these days? I’d like to see those numbers honestly. I’m 40, been working since I was 13. My oldest is about to turn 15 and will get his first job this summer.
My parents didn’t think twice about dropping me off at the local bar & grill on a Friday night to wash dishes. I’ll tell you that I did a whole lot more than wash dishes. Working with primarily a bunch of twenty-something burnouts in a bar was a life-changing experience for me and not in all the best ways. I learned a lot of valuable lessons, developed a strong work ethic, etc. I I also picked up some bad habits and was exposed to stuff most of us wouldn’t want our 13 year-olds near. I know that for me personally that has factored into my son’s slower entry into the workforce.
The kids have been scared into thinking if you leave your house you die.
Psst…. Brandon won!!
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Reef Whooligan wrote:</div>
Your tax dollars are actually subsidizing the ability of multibillion corporations tounderpay peopleget powerful, rich and eliminate their competition.Fixed it for you.
It’s seems wonderful to buy cheap stuff but when your tax dollars are diverted to house feed their employees, it’s going to cost us all more in the end.
Shall we talk about healthcare now?
Amen!!
Why would anyone want to go work on the “front lines” with no health insurance? Should work for $3.50 an hour plus tips, then get hit with thousands in medical bills because ya caught the cooties while serving some self important twit lunch?
But hey, it does give all these folks whining about the cost of wheelhouses the opportunity to pick up a second job so they can afford the things they want in life. Always a silver lining, just all about perspective.
Are fewer teens working these days? I’d like to see those numbers honestly. I’m 40, been working since I was 13. My oldest is about to turn 15 and will get his first job this summer.
My parents didn’t think twice about dropping me off at the local bar & grill on a Friday night to wash dishes.
Friday NIGHT is the key thing everybody saying these jobs are for teenagers is missing. Fast food, gas stations, groceries, everywhere isn’t only open 4-10pm for 9 months a year.
I think people might actually be starting to figure things out!! Make more money or quit and go have fun. I know many friends and family members that wished they had lived a little instead of nonstop work until your unable to enjoy retirement. You can’t buy your younger years back In Life for any amount of money. Your not supposed to work all year and only have a couple weeks off. Take a couple months off and enjoy yourself. Work will be there when your ready.
I think people might actually be starting to figure things out!! Make more money or quit and go have fun. I know many friends and family members that wished they had lived a little instead of nonstop work until your unable to enjoy retirement. You can’t buy your younger years back In Life for any amount of money. Your not supposed to work all year and only have a couple weeks off. Take a couple months off and enjoy yourself. Work will be there when your ready.
Well Said 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dirty Water wrote:</div>
Are fewer teens working these days? I’d like to see those numbers honestly. I’m 40, been working since I was 13. My oldest is about to turn 15 and will get his first job this summer.My parents didn’t think twice about dropping me off at the local bar & grill on a Friday night to wash dishes.
Friday NIGHT is the key thing everybody saying these jobs are for teenagers is missing. Fast food, gas stations, groceries, everywhere isn’t only open 4-10pm for 9 months a year.
Right? These lazy teenagers should drop outta school so Wendy’s can stay fully-staffed. The people need to eat!
I honestly believe a big part of this is an over-saturation of crappy food joints. We don’t need that junk, and if they can’t even stay consistently staffed I’d just assume they went away.
Here’s one small example: The town I grew up in had, I thought, a lot of fast food options for its size, including a Subway as the only sandwich shop. Now they have what must be 25-30 of these junk joints including subway, jimmy johns, Jersey mikes, potbelly, and a local sub shop as well. When I graduated in 2000 the town was 9,000 people, todays it’s 14.5k. Options are nice but when you’re choosing between one brand of trash and another it gets to feel ridiculous.
I’ve read through the whole thread and there are some interesting perspectives. Some I agree with, some I don’t and others I just scratch my head.
A few things come to mind in response. Not everyone is capable of having a high paying job. That may be due to the skill needed or the education needed. Some people haven’t developed that yet and some never will. There is no way on God’s green Earth that someone flipping burgers or working as a cashier should be making as much as a person with a college degree. There is a difference in peoples abilities. Some people are going to need to have more than one job to make ends meat. That is just plain statistics. Someone stated there there is an overabundance of lower paying jobs and not enough people to fill them. Hmm, there wasn’t in March 2020. The thing that changed was people’s perspectives and that the gov’t gave them “free” money, not their need for long term employment. I believe those people will be facing a harsh reality at some point. I won’t get into the whole $15 minimum wage but we’re seeing the effects of that now. Pre-2020 people were demanding that level of pay. Now…well no one wants the same exact jobs at that higher pay level. People need to realize that unless they do something to improve their worth to an employer, they will continue to only be suitable for less skilled, lower paid jobs. With the exception of a small number of people, McDonald’s is not a career, Walmart is not a career, waiting tables at Sal’s Swill and Grill is not a career. Personally I think the issue is over inflated self esteem and entitlement mentality of some. There is a reckoning coming and it may not be pretty.
Rant over. 
well stated.
As of June 2019, the average American had over $180,000 in savings and that included bank accounts, retirement savings plans, and other investment vehicles. This actually makes Americans some of the better savers in the developed world, not the worst as is often reported.
Please share where you found that data on 180,000..in my opinion that is BS…then take the average salary of every american and find the formula where this all adds up. SMFH 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
As of June 2019, the average American had over $180,000 in savings and that included bank accounts, retirement savings plans, and other investment vehicles. This actually makes Americans some of the better savers in the developed world, not the worst as is often reported.Please share where you found that data on 180,000..in my opinion that is BS…then take the average salary of every american and find the formula where this all adds up. SMFH
Don’t know where the stats came from but seems realistic… if one person has $360,000 in savings/retirement and the next one $0… it’s $180,000 average.
I’ve read through the whole thread and there are some interesting perspectives. Some I agree with, some I don’t and others I just scratch my head.
A few things come to mind in response. Not everyone is capable of having a high paying job. That may be due to the skill needed or the education needed. Some people haven’t developed that yet and some never will. There is no way on God’s green Earth that someone flipping burgers or working as a cashier should be making as much as a person with a college degree. There is a difference in peoples abilities. Some people are going to need to have more than one job to make ends meat. That is just plain statistics. Someone stated there there is an overabundance of lower paying jobs and not enough people to fill them. Hmm, there wasn’t in March 2020. The thing that changed was people’s perspectives and that the gov’t gave them “free” money, not their need for long term employment. I believe those people will be facing a harsh reality at some point. I won’t get into the whole $15 minimum wage but we’re seeing the effects of that now. Pre-2020 people were demanding that level of pay. Now…well no one wants the same exact jobs at that higher pay level. People need to realize that unless they do something to improve their worth to an employer, they will continue to only be suitable for less skilled, lower paid jobs. With the exception of a small number of people, McDonald’s is not a career, Walmart is not a career, waiting tables at Sal’s Swill and Grill is not a career. Personally I think the issue is over inflated self esteem and entitlement mentality of some. There is a reckoning coming and it may not be pretty.
Rant over. grin
My kind of rant!!
I think people might actually be starting to figure things out!! Make more money or quit and go have fun. I know many friends and family members that wished they had lived a little instead of nonstop work until your unable to enjoy retirement. You can’t buy your younger years back In Life for any amount of money. Your not supposed to work all year and only have a couple weeks off. Take a couple months off and enjoy yourself. Work will be there when your ready.
While I do agree with your post Pat, most full time jobs don’t permit someone to just “take a couple months” off for leisure purposes. Even a good job with a lot of vacation probably won’t allow it, other than being a teacher that gets the summer off. If I took 2 months off every year, I wouldn’t have a job to go back to.
Dutchboy, BuckyBadger –
Yes, there was a shortage of teachers prior to the COVID outbreak. It is NOT just about COVID. But it is part because of teachers unions, those in the “executive” group who bargain for the rest. Many of you do not realize or do not want to realize this group is no different than the political morass we are in now with Brandon and Donald. They are in it for themselves. For anyone here who wants to say “I know lots of people who are not that way”, I will name you a hundred who are. They “accost “teachers in the hall for NOT wearing their union t-shirts. THe legislature passed language that said you did NOT have to pay fair share union dues 3 years ago. You should see firsthand how these “new” teachers are harassed. They get almost zero for raises as the majority goes to the top ranks ( those in the executive cabinets who are running their local unions make these decisions) Looked like that congresswoman ( Kristin Sinema- spelling?) they were following into the bathroom. 50% of new teachers last less than 3 years. Make no make mistake folks , the suburban district I worked for generated over $740,000.00 in union dues a year! There are over 340 school districts in this state. These folks are no better that the big pharma, big business, gun or other lobbies in this state and this country. They took COVID as an opportunity to press home that they are underpaid and overworked. Thousands of REALLY GREAT TEACHERS in this state overshadowed by long tenured, mediocre teachers who regularly “eat their young” to pad their bottom line. What COVID has the real possibility of doing is hastening the day that Public education becomes the bastion for the poor and special needs, it is already happening. Apply distance learning to this equation and parents can open enroll to ANY school they want! Wait til they start to change the funding structures for local schools. Anyone who has partaken in or witnessed a school community get absorbed into another because it could no longer operate ( whether SOD -Statutory Operating Debt) or some other death knell knows how divisive and passionate this gets parents. Our educational system is in need of a real change but the powerful teacher’s union will be a tough adversary. I was a public education employee for 34 years. Had 19 superintendents during that time ( do the math – 4 of them in one 5 year tenure). They are hard to find and even harder to find one with any skill or understanding of the larger picture. Couple this with wanting superintendents of color and your pool of experience, skill and availability shrinks to almost nothing and you end up with leaders who are not equipped to do the job, especially to work with the teachers union. Go to the top of this reply and repeat, do it many times and the quality and opportunity and angst are all multiplied each time. It’s not opinion, been watching happen every year.
umy, that’s so far fetched it’s funny.
As a former union rep, retired now, those top execs would be ex execs if they did that. They do have to face there members via elections.
Please share where you found that data on 180,000..in my opinion that is BS…then take the average salary of every american and find the formula where this all adds up. SMFH
Here you go. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/27/heres-how-much-money-americans-have-in-savings-at-every-income-level.html
This article breaks down the numbers, but this figure is broadly used in retirement planning.
Yes, yes, as everyone knows, the average is going to include the super rich and the very poor. You can break it down any way you want. The median is currently about 12k, but then that’s going to include all age groups.
As I said before, the point is that just pointing at passbook savings accounts as the definite measure of personal savings or saved wealth is outmoded.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
Ok so a large amount are simply retiring at or near a retirement age. Makes sense.Still doesn’t quite explain the rest though. I mean if you are 35 or 40 you can’t just quit the work force…or can you?
I’m 38 and I would never just randomly leave my job because I can. I would certainly line up something better before I considered doing it.
I wouldn’t quit my job either but that’s because I’m risk averse. For those in their late 30’s to mid 40’s we’re kind of on the backside of a massive shift in how people look at work.
Many people now, especially 10 to 15 years younger look at work as more transient. Not uncommon for people to have 2-3 part time jobs or side hustles. The gig economy has allowed people freedom and flexibility that full time work hasn’t.
I manage a couple of fairly large sales teams…most of my folks do pretty well. But, I’ve had people leave just because they want to…nothing planned but want a change. Frankly, I wish I had the guts to do the same sometimes.
Between boomers retiring early and work as we know changing I expect the issues with hiring and retaining people to be a challenge unless the economy goes in the tank.
Being risk averse is the #1 thing holding me back. I have a decent gig right now… but I want to go off on my own. I just haven’t had the balls to do it.
Dutchboy, BuckyBadger –
Yes, there was a shortage of teachers prior to the COVID outbreak. It is NOT just about COVID. But it is part because of teachers unions, those in the “executive” group who bargain for the rest. Many of you do not realize or do not want to realize this group is no different than the political morass we are in now with Brandon and Donald. They are in it for themselves. For anyone here who wants to say “I know lots of people who are not that way”, I will name you a hundred who are. They “accost “teachers in the hall for NOT wearing their union t-shirts. THe legislature passed language that said you did NOT have to pay fair share union dues 3 years ago. You should see firsthand how these “new” teachers are harassed. They get almost zero for raises as the majority goes to the top ranks ( those in the executive cabinets who are running their local unions make these decisions) Looked like that congresswoman ( Kristin Sinema- spelling?) they were following into the bathroom. 50% of new teachers last less than 3 years. Make no make mistake folks , the suburban district I worked for generated over $740,000.00 in union dues a year! There are over 340 school districts in this state. These folks are no better that the big pharma, big business, gun or other lobbies in this state and this country. They took COVID as an opportunity to press home that they are underpaid and overworked. Thousands of REALLY GREAT TEACHERS in this state overshadowed by long tenured, mediocre teachers who regularly “eat their young” to pad their bottom line. What COVID has the real possibility of doing is hastening the day that Public education becomes the bastion for the poor and special needs, it is already happening. Apply distance learning to this equation and parents can open enroll to ANY school they want! Wait til they start to change the funding structures for local schools. Anyone who has partaken in or witnessed a school community get absorbed into another because it could no longer operate ( whether SOD -Statutory Operating Debt) or some other death knell knows how divisive and passionate this gets parents. Our educational system is in need of a real change but the powerful teacher’s union will be a tough adversary. I was a public education employee for 34 years. Had 19 superintendents during that time ( do the math – 4 of them in one 5 year tenure). They are hard to find and even harder to find one with any skill or understanding of the larger picture. Couple this with wanting superintendents of color and your pool of experience, skill and availability shrinks to almost nothing and you end up with leaders who are not equipped to do the job, especially to work with the teachers union. Go to the top of this reply and repeat, do it many times and the quality and opportunity and angst are all multiplied each time. It’s not opinion, been watching happen every year.
I have no idea where you get this information, both of my kids, one of their spouses, 2 of my sisters, 3 of my sister in laws, 4 friends are all educators and I was a field rep for a union in another field and I can tell you that what you purport to be the “norm” is anything but.
As a former union rep, retired now, those top execs would be ex execs if they did that. They do have to face there members via elections.
Agreed. Those representatives would be gone.
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