[Brugmansian]

Depends on the area I think. Where I am, any teenager with transportation can get all the yard and odd work they want at $10 a hour. Anyone with even moderate skills can get $12. CT is bleeding young people. There is a shortage of healthy able people in this state.

[CowboyJay]

"Depends on the area I think."

It must. Where I live, unskilled labor currently pays at or just above minimum wage and jobs are in short supply. Before the illegal invasion, the same jobs paid $10-$12 per hour, and anyone with a pulse could find something that would at least pay the rent on a 1 BR apartment.

Our tech sector has been hit extremely hard (mainly by outsourcing, but also from companies shuttering due to overseas competition). Plenty of degreed, experienced IT people manning call centers for $10-$12/hr, sometimes (increasingly) with no benefits. Those positions used to be staffed by HS grads. Must be a real pill to rack up a pile of student loans then find out you're worth $24K/year after graduation.

Companies advertising openings for entry-level office jobs paying $10/hr are routinely swamped with over 100 applicants for a single position.