“They might receive just $90 for a 14-hour workday, or about $6.42 an hour”
Perhaps the very unskilled - but there were some damn good illegal plumbers, electricians, and others that built my house. They certainly made a lot more than $6.42.
As to Americans doing that work at those pay scales - yep, they would do it, if we actually stopped paying them to sit home and play video games.
And welders, damn good welders, seen em go months without busting an xray.
// As to Americans doing that work at those pay scales - yep, they would do it, if we actually stopped paying them to sit home and play video games. //
-and- #47 // Or they fill in labor gaps caused by people who could work deciding not to work. ...As much as I think there should be penalties for the hiring of illegal immigrants I know the main reason besides wages such crews are hired. It is that bosses really do want [*need*] people who will work and get the job done. //
To those points (also #50 & #55): A while back I came across an interesting agribusiness study from (I think) South Carolina dealing with the very real problem of finding and keeping workers to harvest crops — jobs that obviously absolutely MUST be done, and in timely, reliable manner. Ads were placed, but very few responses from legal workers came in, even with above minimum wage. Then, of the few who were found to work, few actually showed up, and none kept at it.
As you point out, why should a person work when he can indeed get paid for sitting home playing video games? That needs to change in order to fill the many hard jobs that most Americans are — in truth — unwilling to do.
I’ll see if I can come across that study again & provide link.