Why is there suddenly an extremely severe shortage of workers all over the world?

a reply to: SeriouslyDeep
Trades are hiring like crazy. Our local electricians Union can't find enough people for apprenticeships. I'm a mechanic and we can't find enough actual mechanics. Always hiring. It's a sweet gig to great benefits and good hourly. The people complaining about not making enough working as a supervisor stocking a grocery store are killing me. Anyone can do that job. Not many people can do my job.

originally posted by: Crackalackin
a reply to: SeriouslyDeep
Trades are hiring like crazy. Our local electricians Union can't find enough people for apprenticeships. I'm a mechanic and we can't find enough actual mechanics. Always hiring. It's a sweet gig to great benefits and good hourly. The people complaining about not making enough working as a supervisor stocking a grocery store are killing me. Anyone can do that job. Not many people can do my job.

This is the end result for pushing a college degree over a skilled trade. The chickens have come home to roost. Mike Rowe had it right.

a reply to: 38181
And my pay just keeps going up!

a reply to: SeriouslyDeep

A big part of this, from my experience employing hospitality employees, is that a large amount of service staff were elderly that retired, theater performers that have just given up and gone back to work, musicians that are the same, and all the folks that did those gig industry jobs.

I book musicians from time to time...not quite as many acts available as there used to be. SXSW was a bit of a flop. Im not sure what its like elsewhere, but in Central Texas losing folks from entertainment gig jobs that supplemented their art with service work and losing sunset workers that just stayed retired instead, has had a pretty big impact overall.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

is that a large amount of service staff were elderly that retired, t

A huge portion of school bus drivers here all retired.
When I think about that job, who else would do it? It is limited choppy hours for such little pay.
They were begging people to come back.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Are you kidding? This is what every teenager I knew, including me, did in the 80's. I worked at BK, McDonalds and KFC. We had 1, maybe 2 "adults" as managers, but we did everything, including make the burgers.

Today, no teens want to do these jobs for some reason. I think to many parents (my generation) spoiled theses kids. Which is why, now at 25-30, they don't want to work.
I know. I have one.

Wasn't spoiled, but doesn't want to hold a job longer than to pay for whatever trip they want to go on. I don't get it.

a reply to: SeriouslyDeep

i think people found a new way what ever it is to get by

no one wants to work in an office

no one wants to bend pipes

no one wants to mop the floor

and the reason they don't is because places of employment in the past were ready to fire you for any infraction knowing they could replace you anytime. I live in NY and for me that means all jobs are 'at will" jobs meaning you can be fired for anything anytime.

people are tired of being underpaid, over worked and unappreciated

the real losers are these mega companies where no one wants to work any more. I personally don't care if wal mart disappears or target all that stuff is crap made in some hell hole in Asia by kids anyway.

people are more than likely working small jobs when needed and not working when not needed.

originally posted by: KTemplar
a reply to: JAGStorm



First I’d like to say to the unsympathetic that the value of a dollar is garbage compared to when I grew up. I’m 56.

Rents are out of control for shacks.

This up there, for sure.

The town I moved out of, the average rent for a shoebox studio of like 450 sq ft is now looking like $1900. Thats like $200 to $300 MORE than my monthly mortgage payment of a 3 floor (incl finished basement)townhome of like 1750 sq ft. ridiculous.

and the two towns are only 10 miles apart!

a reply to: SeriouslyDeep

Something definitely doesn't add up, but it's anyone's guess where the numbers miss.

We have been looking for an employee for quite a long while. We can't find anyone. I hear of other companies experiencing the same problem. The trouble is everyone I know has a job. Most everyone I come across has a job. The only people we can get to apply are either under 25 or have extensive criminal records. Due to the nature of the job we are unable to hire either demographic. However, even they are few and far between, and most of those applicants already have jobs and are just looking for better pay.

I hear about the worker shortage. I feel the effects of not being able to find a coworker. Still, I can't find many people who don't have a job. It makes no sense!

a reply to: JAGStorm

I do not operate in Austin. But man do I know a lot of folks who do, both current work peers and former. The folks you counted on left the workforce almost entirely for other ventures.

The "antiwork" movement is gaining steam too. A lot of the openings relates to churn vacancies.

a reply to: chiefsmom

Today, no teens want to do these jobs for some reason. I think to many parents (my generation) spoiled theses kids. Which is why, now at 25-30, they don't want to work.
I know. I have one.

I have kids in that age group and they are the hardest workers I've ever seen.

I don't think kids are spoiled. I think these kids are smart enough to not want to deal with Ken's and Karen's when they can work at other places for the same amount and not deal with food or people. That's smart.

a reply to: filthyphilanthropist

Most everyone I come across has a job. The only people we can get to apply are either under 25 or have extensive criminal records.

They are doing some weird stuff here. Criminal record no problem. Wisconsin is also trying to change the labor laws regarding kids so they can work longer hours and more days or something. Don't think it will go through.

a reply to: SeriouslyDeep

They are the worker bees whom have moved underground. The elites can not be bothered by miniscule labor. Someone has to clean, cook, be sacrificed for entertainment. When the elites go underground infrastructure in place.
Some were clones and other various non humans have added to this aswell.

originally posted by: Phage
Why is it that if the economy is a wreck people are looking for people to hire? Good question.

I think it is one of a number of ripple effects of the pandemic. Some people found out they can sponge off their parents some more. Some people found out they have enough to "coast" on and don't have to work. There was a good amount of free money floating around with extended unemployment and such. Some people are still worried about being around other people.

Big things like the job market have some inertia, they don't tend to change real fast. A lot of people left the market. In time they will return.

I don't think the economy is a wreck. I have an hour commute on a toll road daily. The truck traffic is off the charts lately. It stands to reason if the economy was truly so bad, you wouldn't see trucking on such a robust level supporting commerce. I am sure there are sectors that are suffering, but it does seem to me that given what we have gone through the past couple years, the economy isn't that bad. With respect to people leaving their jobs, an event like covid tends to focus that we are finite in our time on this Earth, and I think a fair amount of people have begun to question aspects of their lives like work, and found their careers lacking. People have maybe reached the saturation point with being treated poorly at the workplace and covid might have been a catalyst for them to try and make a change.

originally posted by: filthyphilanthropist
a reply to: SeriouslyDeep

Something definitely doesn't add up, but it's anyone's guess where the numbers miss.

We have been looking for an employee for quite a long while. We can't find anyone. I hear of other companies experiencing the same problem. The trouble is everyone I know has a job. Most everyone I come across has a job. The only people we can get to apply are either under 25 or have extensive criminal records. Due to the nature of the job we are unable to hire either demographic. However, even they are few and far between, and most of those applicants already have jobs and are just looking for better pay.

I hear about the worker shortage. I feel the effects of not being able to find a coworker. Still, I can't find many people who don't have a job. It makes no sense!

Well, I guess the best explanation is that the missing people are the ones we'd never know anyways, so, how you tell they're missing if you'd never know them anyways?

Many parents and families have elected one partner to work from home therefore allowing them by pass the need for childcare. The overall money saved is tremendous and I believe many of the missing workers are here.

a reply to: eManym

I was laid off in 2014 after working in IT for ten years. Spent 2015 to 2018 looking for work with 100's of applications, a few interviews that I could tell were bogus or a free consultancy .

The internet advertised 1000s of jobs in IT during those years.

In the case of IT, you were most likely not on the train to where IT was headed. IT is like a super fast train, always adopting the latest technology and getting rid of the antiquated old expensive stuff. You could not stagnate very long without being left in the dust.

Not being hired within a year should have been enough of a clue, and if you took interviews, what were they asking you?
Those things should have been written down and examined. If you needed some re-training, there were countless night IT courses in just about everything. I do not mean to belittle you, it is just that I have seen this scenario play out my whole career. You have to always make sure you have a chip in the game.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: filthyphilanthropist

Most everyone I come across has a job. The only people we can get to apply are either under 25 or have extensive criminal records.

They are doing some weird stuff here. Criminal record no problem. Wisconsin is also trying to change the labor laws regarding kids so they can work longer hours and more days or something. Don't think it will go through.

I'm not necessarily opposed to either of those things. Many households need their teenagers to work. If they can keep up their schooling, then there shouldn't be a legal issue working too IMO. If anything it will build greater character and self- confidence.

As for criminal records there certainly are some fields where it should be very restricted, but otherwise they need better work opportunities. They go to prison, serve their time, get out and go back to crime because there are no significant opportunities for them. The same people who chastise them for not having a job are usually the same people who will not give them a job.

a reply to: SeriouslyDeep

Maybe patriots have quit?

Seriously. They may have decided to go against their own needs and stop funding a legitimizing a totally illegitimate and corrupt system of what basically amounts to indentured servtitude. No thanks. Not a slave!

No job on paper means no tax, no artificial consent

At this point, given where our taxes go, paying taxes is tountamount to manslaughter. Involuntary, but you are still directly funding the killing of people.