Why Is There Suddenly an Extremely Severe Shortage of Workers All Over the World?

NOQ Report ^ | 09/19/2021 | Michael Snyder

[Rusty0604]

I thought the extra unemployment benefits expired.

[Rusty0604]

Don’t worry! There are thousands coming over the border everyday to save us! The democrats say they are human infrastructure that will be a boon to our economy.

[JD_UTDallas]

I have never seen a yard mower in Texas that was from this side of the border. I’d be willing to bet half of the back of house staff at any restaurant in Texas are from south of the border as well and it’s been that way for decades. Same stuff different day in the border states.

[Rusty0604]

“Now that the enhanced unemployment is gone I still don’t understand why poeple won’t work. I think one writer here is correct, they got out of the habit of work and the end of the gravy train of unemployment benefits is not yet sunk in.”

8m retired now, but when I had bills to pay and kids to feed, I couldn’t afford to think like that.

[metmom]

Of course certain types of workers are far more important to the basic functioning of the global economy than other types of workers. For example, the world would be just fine if there was a severe shortage of actors and actresses.

Preach it!!!!!!

Matter of fact, it would be better off.

[metmom]

Here’s an idea… eliminate ALL the dozens of freebies and welfare at state and Federal levels and see what happens. Hunger drives work.

Exactly.

TPTB are driving this with their guaranteed basic income BS.

[steve86]

“Here’s an idea… eliminate ALL the dozens of freebies and welfare at state and Federal levels and see what happens. Hunger drives work.”

As the article mentioned, such a thing — having the rug pulled out — would result in a worldwide socialist revolution. That’s probably not the outcome you were gunning for.

[Alberta's Child]

I sat in on a web meeting of supply chain management experts last week, and from what they said there are two different forces at work here:

1. The scenario you describe with people getting paid to stay home applies mainly to low-skill workers and jobs that are typically filled by younger people as entry-level work.

2. The bigger problem is in more skilled positions like truck drivers and skilled trades. These are fields where there are fewer young people in the business right now (you can’t get a CDL until the age of 21, in fact). The experts generally agreed that these fields are starving for workers because so many of their workers opted to retire after facing the COVID fiasco last year.

[Jonty30]

I totally get that it mainly applies to non-skilled and they will be the ones agitating for socialism when this house of cards collapse.

I can also see that covid thing drove older workers out of the workforce.

[precisionshootist]

People have also figured out that keeping up with the Jones’s rat race is not as important as it seemed. A good number of service industry jobs were staffed by people who that was their second or even third job part time. All those people have realised work life balance was F’d up. Leisure has value as does family time and travel. Also a good number of people have gone into the “gig” economy and also the grey and black economy. There is also a structural shift in the workforce. People who were waiting tables found out they could for the same money or better answer call center calls at home. Same goes for the person cleaning hotel rooms or scrubbing floors. Even low skilled jobs like data entry or medical coding can be done from home by former retail sales or customer service types. The job paradigm that existed in 2019 is over. Plus a lot of boomers retired early and also reached retirement ages anyway over the last 2 years.“.

Exactly correct! Yet so many here on FR were convinced it was the unemployment money, it wasn’t. Many like you say were working two or three jobs because they WANTED stuff, not because they needed it. Now our commie infested government has wrecked our need for high productivity because people are living a much more frugal lifestyle. They are no longer spending huge money on entertainment and things they don’t need. They are becoming more independent, not less. Gig jobs are everywhere. Why work at Target when you can work for yourself and set your own rules. Many people have gotten a taste of self employment and they are unlikely to go back even if the don’t earn as much.

[dfwgator]

It’s called “welfare”, Jim.

[Widget Jr]

Also telliing people get the jab or you don’t get a job, goto school, or travel.

[dfwgator]

I think this is the reason the elites know we need mass immigration to get the bodies to do those jobs.

[dfwgator]

And for a married couple, the extra household expenses incurred for the other spouse to have a job, especially when they have children, really doesn’t make it all that worth it, over having one spouse to stay at home with the children.

[Kudsman]

I see plenty of people not working every day. They do not appear hungry nor thirsty as they stare into their phone or walk along with speakers in their hands or ears.

[greeneyes]

All part of the Great Reset envisioned by the World Economic Forum and the rest of the hoity toity maniacal groups walking in lock step to Build Back Better. 🤢

[Secret Agent Man]

my tagline

[Secret Agent Man]

a fedex mgr i was talking to this Saturday said they are down 30,000 workers

i was asking him what was going on as I went to my closer store only to find it closed, even though its slated to be open

he said that location only has two people working the store

i said last week there were 3-4 people there working

he says some may have been promoted, or left, or went to other stores

but they are short everywhere, drivers, store employees

i just wonder how many are covax casualties, dead or incapacitated

[JD_UTDallas]

The two income problem is showing it ugly head in this economy. A lot of these open jobs were filled not only with second individual income jobs but also a working spouse who wanted the second income, wanted not NEEDED is the key here.

People here still cling to oh it’s the welfare from the gov crutch failing to grasp the paradigm shift. Texas and Florida both eliminated the fed money months and months ago yet people are not rushing back to crappy service industry or retail jobs. I know a lot of Gen X and early Boomers who will never set foot in a corporate office again. They work for themselves now doing gigs, hustles, day trading, and other entrepreneurial activities. I also know of a lot of their kids who will never go back to waiting tables, or retail they found other means, remote work has changed the playing field.

[Lazamataz]

Before the pandemic, there was never a time when we didn’t have enough workers to do the basic tasks that needed to get done.

Incorrect. This happened after the Bubonic Plague.