Or perhaps the word is out that he's a jerk as a boss?
If Geography and wise educating were actually practiced ... I think you might see inner city kids, feeling hopeless and forgotten, (isn't that the mantra ? ) opt to take a wise employer up on a 'Job Corps' type of offer, move their ambitious but idle asses out to the big sky country and LO! .. perhaps actually develop a taste for life and freedom and become productive members of this great land.
Or maybe the welfare system could get off their asses and turn loose the money needed for trasnsportation to and housing in these places that need workers.
Why do boot camps have to be chain gangs with D.I.'s ?
In 92 I advertised for a secretary at $6.00/hr and got hundreds of applicants because downsizing had put a lot of people out on the market. Two years later I needed a secretary and there were no applicants from any source. When I got a referral through an employee and I wanted to hire her, I asked her what she thought she was worth. She named a figure about 40% higher than she was currently earning. After checking her referances, that is what I offered her. but she turned out to be so good, that I was paying her another 30% more within a few months and glad to have her.
That whole experience left me convinced that high unemployment really comes from a shortage of entrepreneurship. Turn a bunch of middle managers lose from the phone company and some of them figure out that they will have to start businesses to get what they want. Then they hire the rest. Then, if you have Democrats in government, they will come after the businesses with their anti corporate populism and screw everything up again. Their focus on jobs ios less productive than it would be to develop entrepreneurs. The IRS is the main destroyer of entrepreneurs.
A boss who insists on being a jerk in a tight labor market will find himself in a world of hurt.The days of BS and intimidation from managers are coming to an end.
I also read a few months ago about a Montana fishing equipment manufacturing firm that could not get employees to work their assembly line. The owner searched 100 miles in every direction.
The owner was between the rock and the hard place. If he raised wages and prices to make a profit, he lost sales because his prices were too high.
His choice go out of business (and let China sell it all) or outsource to a 3rd world country (he was very anti China, BTW) He opened a factory in India.
It ain’t easy....
....Bob