Do People Just Not Want To Work Anymore?

[swamp]

So, in summary, we have

750,000 dead people
An unknown number of people who are now disabled
A pile of boomers who retired early
A pile of people who realized they survive just fine without working for the man
Limited child care options
A bunch of people who used the pandemic to get better job skills and move up the ladder
1,000,000 less immigrants.

I don’t think the problem is laziness.

[pulmonarymd]

Nov 5, 2021 14:14:54 GMT -5 swamp said:

So, in summary, we have

750,000 dead people
An unknown number of people who are now disabled
A pile of boomers who retired early
A pile of people who realized they survive just fine without working for the man
Limited child care options
A bunch of people who used the pandemic to get better job skills and move up the ladder
1,000,000 less immigrants.

I don’t think the problem is laziness.

I don't think you did the math correctly. You need to use conservative math

[Value Buy]

Nov 5, 2021 14:14:54 GMT -5 swamp said:

So, in summary, we have

750,000 dead people
An unknown number of people who are now disabled
A pile of boomers who retired early
A pile of people who realized they survive just fine without working for the man
Limited child care options
A bunch of people who used the pandemic to get better job skills and move up the ladder
1,000,000 less immigrants.

I don’t think the problem is laziness.

Are migrants a different category, because we have no true record of how many came here.

[stillmovingforward]

Nov 6, 2021 14:04:13 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Nov 5, 2021 14:14:54 GMT -5 swamp said:

So, in summary, we have

750,000 dead people
An unknown number of people who are now disabled
A pile of boomers who retired early
A pile of people who realized they survive just fine without working for the man
Limited child care options
A bunch of people who used the pandemic to get better job skills and move up the ladder
1,000,000 less immigrants.

I don’t think the problem is laziness.

Are migrants a different category, because we have no true record of how many came here.

According to the farmers around me, we haven't had NEARLY enough to migrant workers to harvest and help. 

[resolution]

Driverless commercial vehicles are inching forward. www.engadget.com/walmart-is-using-driverless-trucks-to-complete-a-7-mile-delivery-loop-143016425.html

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Nov 8, 2021 15:51:30 GMT -5 resolution said:

Driverless commercial vehicles are inching forward. www.engadget.com/walmart-is-using-driverless-trucks-to-complete-a-7-mile-delivery-loop-143016425.html

This terrifies my husband--driverless cars in general. 

[daisylu]

Nov 8, 2021 19:36:28 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Nov 8, 2021 15:51:30 GMT -5 resolution said:

Driverless commercial vehicles are inching forward. www.engadget.com/walmart-is-using-driverless-trucks-to-complete-a-7-mile-delivery-loop-143016425.html

This terrifies my husband--driverless cars in general. 

I am not a fan either, but anyone who knows me knows that I have control issues.

[thyme4change]

Nov 8, 2021 19:36:28 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Nov 8, 2021 15:51:30 GMT -5 resolution said:

Driverless commercial vehicles are inching forward. www.engadget.com/walmart-is-using-driverless-trucks-to-complete-a-7-mile-delivery-loop-143016425.html

This terrifies my husband--driverless cars in general. 

The longer I live, the more people in general terrify me. Other drivers can be nightmares. I have to question which is worse - technology or assholes.

[lurkyloo]

Nov 5, 2021 9:28:10 GMT -5 gs11rmb said:

My employer is having difficulties filling both entry level (~$12-~$14 positions) as well as career-type positions.  Our accounting department is trying to fill 3 roles and have had very few applicants.  Our research department needs a PhD scientist.  They were expecting about 100 applicants and have received 7!  Of those, 4 don't have PhD's, and 3 don't have experience in the correct field.  So, they have 1 qualified applicant.

There’s lot going on here-tighter job market, likely delays in graduation/defending, maybe fewer scientists coming from overseas-but I have to say that as stem PhDs neither I nor my husband would entertain moving to a red state right now.  

[TheOtherMe]

I see professors from the 3 Iowa state universities on Twitter who are job hunting.  People from other professions, too.  

I know many people will not consider moving to red states.  I wouldn't either if I didn't already live in one.  If I could figure a way out that I could afford, I would be out of here.

My nephew and his wife are so happy they got out of here and said they will not accept positions in red states or in red areas of blue states.

The universities do not have the ability to make any rules to protect either professors or students from Covid.  The governor took that away.

One professor took a stand on it because he is immune compromised.  He implemented a mask mandate.  He first got fired.  The students in the class then rebelled because they understood his reasoning and said he was one of the best professors on campus.  The university finally relented for this semester.  Who knows if he has to go through this again next semester.

He said he will resign over it.  

[minnesotapaintlady]

We had an all-coworker meeting this morning, because they can't get enough help they're offering incentives to work OT the rest of the year.  Anyone that works 90 hours OT in Nov/Dec gets $1000 bonus and anyone that works 140 hours get a $2000 bonus.  They're also letting you sell back vacation or roll 1 hour for every 3 hours OT, giving bonuses for perfect attendance each month and holding a vacation raffle where each 10 hours of OT gives you a ticket.  They're even giving salary workers $500/weekend to work production.  If I didn't have Carrot's schedule dictating mine, I'd be all over this.  I'm going to try and figure out what I can do.

Pretty much all the production people should be able to get the $1000 bonus because that's about what their mandatory OT is anyhow.

[nidena]

I don't know how true this meme is but I imagine it's not grossly *untrue*: www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10221857247885871&set=a.1091774980099 

[tskeeter]

Nov 9, 2021 8:41:37 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Nov 8, 2021 19:36:28 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

This terrifies my husband--driverless cars in general. 

The longer I live, the more people in general terrify me. Other drivers can be nightmares. I have to question which is worse - technology or assholes.

Hmmm - in general, the behavior of technology is predictable.  You can be pretty sure the driverless vehicle is programmed to stop at a stop sign.  The behavior of assholes, not so much.  With a human driver, with every vehicle it’s kind of a crap shoot whether or not they will run the stop sign, not turn in front of you, drift into you lane, speed, be texting while driving, or make some other bonehead move.  The up side to human drivers, they make driving more exciting and they help you to expand your vocabulary.

[nidena]

To add to the retirement facet of the conversation...

More than half of adults aged 55 and up were retired from the labor force last quarter.--LinkedIn post by the author of the article below.

Direct link to the Pew Research article.

[thyme4change]

Nov 11, 2021 9:54:20 GMT -5 nidena said:

To add to the retirement facet of the conversation...

More than half of adults aged 55 and up were retired from the labor force last quarter.--LinkedIn post by the author of the article below.

Direct link to the Pew Research article.

The stock market went pretty hog wild over the past 10 years. Retirement might seem more plausible to people who have been seeing the gains.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

My DH's company and several others around here the very first thing they did come March 2020 was start pressuring people 55+ to start looking into retirement or be laid off.   They did that based on the fact that they are usually higher salary and figured they would cost them the most in regards to health insurance due to COVID risk factors.  So getting them out the door was going to help them keep those record profits.

Absolutely shocking many of them decided screw it and got off the hamster wheel.  I am sure employers were sitting around assuming they would all come groveling back (and hopefully for lower salaries) once this blew over.

The alarm bells have been sounding for awhile that our birth rates aren't high enough to keep up with the people exiting the work force.   2020 came along and sped up that timeline.  It's employer's faults they never bothered to prepare for the inevitable.  

[weltschmerz]

I have a friend who is a construction manager. He's offering $30 an hour for people to rip out old carpeting in a building they're renovating. No education or experience necessary. He can't find anybody.

[nidena]

Nov 11, 2021 17:58:51 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

I have a friend who is a construction manager. He's offering $30 an hour for people to rip out old carpeting in a building they're renovating. No education or experience necessary. He can't find anybody.

Where is this?

[TheOtherMe]

The guy who removes my snow owns a landscaping company.  He called to tell me that he has to raise the price this winter because all of the places around here are paying time and a half.  Of course, to keep his people, he has to do the same thing.  He said he hasn't lost any of his employees yet, but we haven't had now yet.  He does keep a core group employed year round and he said all of those guys will be staying.  

He can't provide the service to me or his other customers if he doesn't pay what others here are paying.

[nidena]

On the topic of work...

I'd forgotten how energy consuming it can be to train someone completely new.

And all the things that I wasn't getting done because I didn't have the person to do them have been traded for not getting things done that I SHOULD be getting done while I train the new person.

I just keep reminding myself that eventually I won't need to train them on many things so long as I do this first part correctly. 

[thyme4change]

Nov 12, 2021 8:06:13 GMT -5 nidena said:

On the topic of work...

I'd forgotten how energy consuming it can be to train someone completely new.

And all the things that I wasn't getting done because I didn't have the person to do them have been traded for not getting things done that I SHOULD be getting done while I train the new person.

I just keep reminding myself that eventually I won't need to train them on many things so long as I do this first part correctly. 

Thank you for saving me the time of typing out this exact post. I am so feeling this way.

[giramomma]

Nov 12, 2021 8:06:13 GMT -5 nidena said:

On the topic of work...

I'd forgotten how energy consuming it can be to train someone completely new.

And all the things that I wasn't getting done because I didn't have the person to do them have been traded for not getting things done that I SHOULD be getting done while I train the new person.

I just keep reminding myself that eventually I won't need to train them on many things so long as I do this first part correctly. 

Yup.

Add in the trainee getting covid..so now there's even more on your plate.

[weltschmerz]

Nov 11, 2021 18:38:16 GMT -5 nidena said:

Nov 11, 2021 17:58:51 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

I have a friend who is a construction manager. He's offering $30 an hour for people to rip out old carpeting in a building they're renovating. No education or experience necessary. He can't find anybody.

Where is this?

Montreal

[NastyWoman]

Nov 11, 2021 9:54:20 GMT -5 nidena said:

To add to the retirement facet of the conversation...

More than half of adults aged 55 and up were retired from the labor force last quarter.--LinkedIn post by the author of the article below.

Direct link to the Pew Research article.

Me, me, me 

[teen persuasion]

Nov 12, 2021 22:44:05 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Nov 11, 2021 9:54:20 GMT -5 nidena said:

To add to the retirement facet of the conversation...

More than half of adults aged 55 and up were retired from the labor force last quarter.--LinkedIn post by the author of the article below.

Direct link to the Pew Research article.

Me, me, me 

And my DH (although he quit before his 55th birthday) 

[pulmonarymd]

The great resignation continues.

[resolution]

My husband's employer has started to pay double time after 50 hours. He has always paid time and a half after 40, but most guys are already working 50 hours and he is trying to incentivize them to work more. So far DH is staying at 50, he has a lot on his plate here at home with our new old house.

[nidena]

Nov 12, 2021 22:01:39 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Nov 11, 2021 18:38:16 GMT -5 nidena said:

Where is this?

Montreal

Poop!  That won't help the folx I know here in Indiana whom I know would jump at it.  lol

Kind of illustrates a facet already mentioned: the people and the jobs don't always line up.

[formerroomate99]

Nov 8, 2021 19:36:28 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Nov 8, 2021 15:51:30 GMT -5 resolution said:

Driverless commercial vehicles are inching forward. www.engadget.com/walmart-is-using-driverless-trucks-to-complete-a-7-mile-delivery-loop-143016425.html

This terrifies my husband--driverless cars in general. 

I remember a horrible movie a few decades back about a Mack truck that didn’t have a driver. Basically a truck Christine.

[formerroomate99]

Nov 5, 2021 14:14:54 GMT -5 swamp said:

So, in summary, we have

750,000 dead people
An unknown number of people who are now disabled
A pile of boomers who retired early
A pile of people who realized they survive just fine without working for the man
Limited child care options
A bunch of people who used the pandemic to get better job skills and move up the ladder
1,000,000 less immigrants.

I don’t think the problem is laziness.

I don’t get why this would be a mystery to anybody.

And frankly, isn’t it a good thing that employers finally have to actually pay a living wage to keep people?