Unemployment Benefits and Labor Shortages

originally posted by: Bunch
a reply to: LordAhriman
And that’s the thing. When Amazon, Costco, Walmart are paying over minimum wage in many states that places many other businesses in a hard place. Which is really not a hard place at all... pay your people, give them benefits, don’t be an ahole employer and your might get employees to apply and even keep them!!

It is that hard for many small businesses. It is easy for a megacorp to pay $15/hr for unskilled work. No so much for your local mom & pop restaurant or retailer. The margins on many businesses are very low. Consumers are fickle. They will demand you pay your employees a living wage and the second you increase prices, the will then complain cost are too high.

I've personally seen people not want to pay a $3.00 delivery fee to cover the cost of delivering their food...

originally posted by: frogs453
Many of the job postings in this area are lower pay and dealing with the public. In this area, dealing with screaming people in a pandemic who want to fight you because you told them to put on a mask does not seem like a good time.

Although ATS is probably not the right place to ask this question. Have you heard of Dan Price and Gravity Payments? On this board he'll probably be considered a "Commie", but 6 years ago he decided to pay a minimum wage to all his employees of 70,000. He cut his salary at the time from 1 million to 70 grand as well. He does not require college degrees for positions, he promotes usually from within. Most people said he would fail, but business tripled. He's hired and expanded even more. Last year when business dropped 55% during the pandemic he asked his employees if they wanted a lay off, or were they willing to take a pay cut. They chose a pay cut. Their salaries have since been restored and they were paid back what they cut. He also did not increase what he charged his customers during this time.

I'm not saying every job can pay 70 grand, but it seems as if you could pay a living wage you have happy employees that want to work. They do not want to sit at home.

Gravity Payments

Much like with COVID and vaccinations you can find anecdotal evidence to support any theory, but we have larger issues here with employment. Some industries may not ever come back, some will take a decade or more to reach pre-COVID numbers. If you were in one of those hard-hit industries and are on the wrong side of 50, finding similar long-term, consistent employment isn't going to be easy. Much like with COVID and vaccinations some states will do way better than others.

originally posted by: wdkirk
I’ll be the azzhat on this one.

Government pandemic handouts made it too easy to stay home.

Americans don’t plan any further down the road than their next paychecks.

We buy and consume crap we don’t need and make no plans to save money.

I’ll work two low pay jobs before I will ever take a government handout.

You are responsible for you.

As for jobs and their purpose, you are bartering your skills for pay. Happiness is not a requirement.

We are headed for more government kickbacks on unemployment benefits clearing the way for free money for just breathing. Minimum wage hikes for low skill jobs will make it even more difficult on employers to compete in a WORLD market that is based on low cost because WE want low cost.

We are our own worst enemy.

I remember how livid Senator Lindsey Graham was on the Sean Hannity show last Spring, after the Cares Act was passed.

He said the $600 @ week Federal pay, combined with the $300 @ week state payment ($900 total) was more than what most service sector people make every week, and that they would find a way to stay home.

That's exactly what happened locally (Chicago area). People who were older, or, overweight, had asthma, diabetes, hypertension, etc., got a note from their doctor advising them to not work with the public until the Federal Pandemic Disaster was declared over with.

At the Gas Station I go to in town, 5 of the 11 workers have been home since April 2020. Can't be fired either. I see a couple of them in the grocery store every so often. Nice full cart of groceries...and they look happy!

Were it not for the Federal Unemployment weekly payment, we would have had a citizen rebellion in many states. Governors forcing shutdowns, when there's no visual evidence of mass sickness, or death, didn't add up.

Can anybody show how many people getting unemployment pay have openings in their past jobs ?

😎

originally posted by: xuenchen
Can anybody show how many people getting unemployment pay have openings in their past jobs ?

😎

An elusive number, like how many get covid-19, or get sick, after being "vaccinated".

originally posted by: Bunch
a reply to: AssiduousSpook

I think the problem right now is jobs available vs skills available. I can guarantee you that the gap on those two is pretty huge.

I agree and what is worse companies aren't willing to foot the resources to train. Its been that way for along time. Covid has exasperated the problem after it caused layoffs or more ominous insentivised retirement and has forced companies to allow homeshoring of many employees.

Even in a skilled field like Engineering I am finding it difficult to find qualified employees the older generation liked the insentivised retirement or demand to work from home (hard to do when you produce hardware) and the younger generation do not have the needed skill set because their old employer neglected to train them and my company isn't willing to foot the bill to do it.

Same problem on the production floor; skilled technicians are harder and harder to come by for the same reasons.

The US is going to encounter serious "brain drain" as the older falks retire more and more; covid accelerated the flight.

a reply to: carewemust

There were a few cases where business owners took PPP loans or some assistance and apparently the employees were upset because it meant the employee wouldn't qualify for the assistance. In other words, they rather had been laid off and got the unemployment instead of the business keeping them on the payroll.

a reply to: LSU2018

So dumb. That check is more than most make at a full time job per week.

How do they expect to keep making payments once it stops even if they get a full time job right away???

My mom is like this. Doesn't think ahead or understand how to manage her finances.

I found out two days ago that she has 3 walmart money cards. each card has a monthly payment to use. So why does she have two extra that she pays on each month but never puts any money on? You tell me because she doesn't know.....

a reply to: Edumakated

I was real lucky. Right after covid first hit my job at GE raised everyone's base pay.
From $7.25 an hour to $13 an hour.

$7.25 was not worth the stress of this job. But $13 is.

GE took care of us thankfully. And even though I would get more on unemployment I would much rather just keep the job I have.

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
a reply to: Edumakated

I was real lucky. Right after covid first hit my job at GE raised everyone's base pay.
From $7.25 an hour to $13 an hour.

$7.25 was not worth the stress of this job. But $13 is.

GE took care of us thankfully. And even though I would get more on unemployment I would much rather just keep the job I have.

Oh good Lord I'd of had a heart attack!!!
But congratulations!!! I'm sure that pay bump was way overdue.

a reply to: Edumakated

If people who barely speak the dominant language of a country is suppressing wages on any meaningful scale, then that country has a much more serious problem.


LSU: If you cant find anyone to work the problem may be you (The company).

a reply to: Caver78

Long over due.

And yes at first we didn't believe it and thought it was a temp raise during covid.
But its permanent.

And so far that extra money has changed my life.
I'm now looking at houses to buy. When before home ownership was just a unattainable dream for me.