Posted on 08/25/2007 5:30:31 AM PDT by Hydroshock
Many people who scream let the market work only do so when it works their way. A tight labor market usually favors the employee not teh employer.
Supply and demand.
I’m in the west too.. and I am seeing this all around me. I’ve been trying to tell people for a long time, raise your wages.. But its a hard sell.. because for an entire generation we haven’t seen wage increases at the low end in this country. So managers and owners have had more success when they just always keep wages at rock bottom levels.
But this time it really is different I believe. You are seeing government workers retiring, and the young generation getting into those high compensation jobs. Even though not all are getting those jobs it reduces the supply.. and arguably for the first time in a generation the supply and demand side is moving away from employers towards employees.
Which is a good thing. Because when supply gets on their side, employees make more money. With more money they can buy more things. Including American made products that cost a little more but are better quality.
For those managers and business owners its going to be a hard change, competing with each other for employees. Its a paradigm shift.. and I expect a lot of business to fail in the shift. I’ve already heard of restaraunts shutting down, because they simply can’t find staff, and aren’t willing to go above minimum wage.
It's not that, John. It's, like Bush says-- We Americans just don't want to do any work that's...well...icky.
(Man, that George Bush--when it comes to enforcing America's immigration laws he's a piece o' work!)
(And his accomplices! Remember when this Chernoff character tried to sell us the snake oil that nobody can figure out how to build a fence on the Mexican Border south of San Diego?)
(Those guys are a hoot!)
(And we should give them the boot!)
It's not that, John. It's, like Bush says-- We Americans just don't want to do any work that's...well...icky.
(Man, that George Bush--when it comes to enforcing America's immigration laws he's a piece o' work!)
(And his accomplices! Remember when this Chernoff character tried to sell us the snake oil that nobody can figure out how to build a fence on the Mexican Border south of San Diego?)
(Those guys are a hoot!)
(And we should give them the boot!)
BINGO! I'd like to ask the "jobs Americans won't do" crowd if they would be willing to do their job for half as much. And if they say "no", then point out that they must give up their job to an illegal, as its a job that Americans won't do.
I’d be more than happy to relocate to Montana or Idaho than stay here in the liberal land of Illinoi$.
Anyone out there looking for an electronic production engineer with 27 years of experience in CEM/EMS? Oh yeah... my wife would be happy to move there as well... she does accounting. Then there’s my brother who also works in electronic manufacturing.
There's no way I'm buying the the Eastern European labor pool has been tapped dry. There are hundreds of thousands --if not more young people all across the former communist states who would jump at the chance for seasonal labor at resorts in the US. Not just for the travel and recreation, but they could return to their home country with enough money saved that they need not work until the next season.
I'm guessing the problem lies with the State Dept. and not a shortage of willing applicants.
I find it very hard to believe that there aren’t highschool or college students who need part time jobs that would turn down a $10 hour job at MCDONALDS!!!
“If no one will work for you for $10 an hour you might want to pay $11 or $12.”
I hear what you are saying...BUT... I went to a subway this week, ordered a BMT. 2 weeks ago a BMT was $6.50, last week the price went up to $9.50. Complained to owner. He said he had to raise wages to $10/hour, and pointed out that he wasn’t in business to lose money. BTW, this was a Subway in a Wal Mart. (in Utah)
.....Bob
Yeah, I think the answer is to cut the welfare programs and that’ll force the leeches out to take up those jobs whether they want ‘em or not.
Yes free markets lift all boats given time. Sometimes inequality is great like over the last decade, the rich got incredibly richer. Then it tends to go the other way, the ‘masses’ get lifted up, and inequality is low.
Our leaders seem to fight tooth and nail to stop the trickle down part of Reaganomics.
“The squeeze is on. You get into these 2 percent and less unemployment rates and you’re moving into a seller’s market with the seller being the worker,” Swanson said.
___________________
That’s terrible.
Mrs VS
Then you pay his price or not. The market works that way if he has to charge more then the market will bare then he will lose business and not need as many workers. Therefore lower his cost.
Unfortunately, by the time they reach the appropriate age, a lot of them have been ruined by the "culture" they've been raised in. No one wants to import trouble.
” He said he had to raise wages to $10/hour, and pointed out that he wasn’t in business to lose money “
Here’s a theorem for ya: “The purchasing power of entry-level wages is a constant”
I come to this by observation, and, being bone-lazy, I’ll leave it to others to prove, disprove, or ignore.......
I hate it when my idealism gets waylaid by reality.
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