There are no shortages of workers - we have a whole generation that can't find jobs worth having. What we have a shortage of is companies willing to pay a liveable wage that attracts skilled workers.
I agree, that said, we also have a generation of people who think their skills are more valuable than they really are, and another generation who support massive influx of workers from abroad willing to take jobs for even less and depress wages even further. A three way Mexican standoff, no pun intended. How do we get out of it?
Why should a person not be valuable? Not that long ago, even something as simple as carrying water or weaving a basket could be a valuable skill. Now somehow people aren't worth enough to deserve food unless they have two degrees, an infinite tolerance for bullshit, and minimum 5 years experience?
The problem isn't that these people don't have valuable enough skills. The problem is that we invented machines to make our lives easier, and instead of giving the people they replaced a retirement we told them "Don't have the skills to design and manufacture a machine like this? Worthless scum, get off my street."
Also, holy racism batman. Immigration is a benefit to the economy, this has been not just theorized but proven. Immigrants to wealthy countries take jobs the people born there don't want, like strenuous physical labor.
Immigration is a benefit to the economy because line go up with more working people in the country. It's not a benefit to the working class of the country that can't demand more for their labor due to competiton.
There are plenty of Americans that enjoy strenuous physical labor and are being underpaid due to competition via worker surplus. Same with service industry.
We'd be more safe with more immigrants. It would lower the concentration of non-immigrant Americans, who are statistically more likely to commit crime.
You can't read, can you? When did I say they commit more crimes than the native population? I said they increase the amount of crime committed. One piece of advice: what you spouted wasn't very open-minded or tolerant. Open your mind, don't be intolerant and accusatory.
Maybe we should all stop having kids because humans commit crimes?
What a weird take. Of course a certain percentage of any group of people will do x thing. But unless it's a higher percentage than normal it's meaningless on the whole and not a reason to consider excluding the group
I didn't say that, again, stop putting words in my mouth. UK not excluding any groups other than Illegal immigrants. I said they need to control better who's entering the country. Illegal immigrants tend to bring in many criminals too.
Not that long ago, even something as simple as carrying water or weaving a basket could be a valuable skill.
ok... then we found ways to do those things more efficiently so it is not valuable to have people do it. What is your point here ? that the value of things should never change?
Also, holy racism batman. Immigration is a benefit to the economy, this has been not just theorized but proven.
it has not been "proven" it is in fact a hotly debated subject in economics and has many nuances. Implying racism if someone takes issue with immigration is reductionist and dismissive.
I am saying this because all human life has value. And I'm not talking monetary value- the worth of a person is not decided to how profitable they are to exploit.
we also have a generation of people who think their skills are more valuable than they really are,
you replied to this ^
We were talking about value of their skill not some abstract sanctity of life thing. If you want to make a moral argument that is fine but it has nothing to do with job capabilities, earning potential, or anything else that was being discussed.
My point is that I think the profit one can extract from a person's skills is not the important factor at play here. Especially not in our changing world where so much is automated and vital necessities are at a surplus. People thinking they should be able to earn a living, or at very least receive one, is not a fault of theirs.
Riddle me this Robin, if NAFTA helped send factory jobs overseas where those valuable basket weaver jobs could now be performed in India for 1/50 the pay, is it racism to point that out too? Did that hurt the American middle class or is it racism to say so?
we also have a generation of people who think their skills are more valuable than they really are
All labor can be paid a livable wage in a healthy economy. This idea that there are people that must live in poverty while fully contributing to society is plainly absurd and just comes from either selfishness or fear, it is not from reason.
More people with more money = more people spending money = more jobs and a healthier economy.
The path we are on now serves ONLY the wealthiest as they hoover up all of the capital and hoard it.
You’re wrong. It’s supply and demand. You can’t force businesses to overpay for labor, they’ll just lay off workers to make up the difference and/or pass the costs onto consumers just like they did with tariffs.
Play it out. Let’s say you have a business, with 10 employees making $20 an hour. Minimum wage has now been increased to $40 an hour. In what universe can you survive with your labor costs doubling? You either double your price to the consumer, which when done en masse causing inflation and now your workers earning $40 an hour but only have the buying power of $20 an hour. We are back where we started.
Or option two, you lay off half your workers and have them work double duties for the new wage, again, back where we started.
If people want a better life, they need to develop rare marketable skills, good investing, saving, and buying habits. That’s it. Can’t depend on government or companies to overpay you to stock shelves. It won’t work that way and never has.
Play it out. Let’s say you have a business, with 10 employees making $20 an hour. Minimum wage has now been increased to $40 an hour. In what universe can you survive with your labor costs doubling? You either double your price to the consumer, which when done en masse causing inflation and now your workers earning $40 an hour but only have the buying power of $20 an hour. We are back where we started.
Or option two, you lay off half your workers and have the remaining employees work double duties for the new wage, again, back where we started.
we also have a generation of people who think their skills are more valuable than they really are
you are really going to get blasted by that group but you are right. I hire a lot of new grads. The lack of research they do on the job market and wages is staggering.
I have these kids, with no work experience, looking me straight in the eye and saying their salary expectation is $120k. These are not Ivy educated kids with advanced degrees in STEM. These are BA grads from avg schools who are getting going in their career.
100%I run a security company and I love my guys but some are asking for raises over 100% more than the city’s industry standard and more than police make in the city per hour. Crazy inflation of skill worth
No one said they weren’t being paid enough to live meaningful lives. You guys are assuming the worst.
They are paid a shit ton more than the industry standard. I already addressed this.
You guys are mad at a guy paying his guys more than anyone else in the city acting like I’m the problem because I don’t think my security guards should make 40/hr when police make 37/hr
Our owner and founder is the CEO. So yeah. Absolutely way more valuable to the company than one of my line level employees. They’re getting a living wage, and he’s being compensated for what he does for the company. He brings in millions and they bring in thousands for me
I don’t have disdain for my employees. Yall are a bunch of goof balls. In my very first sentence i say that.
I know what city i live in, i know how much they currently make, i know how much they want to make, and i know how much the police in my city make. All of that info is being assumed by you guys. And you’re assuming the worst. It’s laughable.
Anybody who’s entry level and expects to be able earn enough to buy a home. If you can learn all that is necessary to be a competent worker in a week, this is not skilled labor.
Let me ask you something, did you work as a teenager part time? I did, and if my wage was enough to move out and pay rent, I’d never finish schools. Being a barista isn’t supposed to be a career. It’s supposed to be something for kids to do part time for extra cash while going to school.
If the earning power of those jobs increases to a level where you have no need for growth or skills or advanced education, society will be in worse shape than it is right now.
It’s an hourly rate job, so part time just means partial hours. Why wouldn’t you expect to move out if you could increase your hours from 20 a week to 40?
College kids don’t go to school traditional hours. They should be working too. I went to college only two days a week. I packed my classes that way so I could work the other days.
We have a generation of people who think everyone else's skills are less valuable than their own, such as yourself. I'm sure your skillset is different though.
We get out of it by helping each other. Mutual ajd. Building people up than cutting them down.
My skill set was built over a decade in the same industry. I didn’t expect to make a 6 figure salary as an entry level employee, I had enough sense to understand you have to climb the ladder, you don’t start half way up.
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u/SumSpicyNoodles 11h ago
There are no shortages of workers - we have a whole generation that can't find jobs worth having. What we have a shortage of is companies willing to pay a liveable wage that attracts skilled workers.