Is it a "labor shortage" or is it a labor-*er* shortage?

[ck4829]

American workers aren't lazy, they don't not "want to work". God, if anything, don't American workers work MORE than the workers of other industrialized countries?

* Americans are now working more hours than any country in the world.
* Americans work longest hours among industrialized countries
* Americans have interesting work habits: More hours, less vacation, less family leave time, less breaks, less personal usage of email on the job, less socialization on the job, etc.

COVID has killed more Americans than the 1918 flu and caused one state's population to actually shrink. It has killed more Americans than guns, car accidents, and the flu combined.

So you know what I think is the cause of this shortage of labor? Not unemployment benefits, no. We have a segment of workers in this country, they are willing to put that screening off because it will interfere with their paycheck. That cough? That burn? That sprain? Meh, doesn't mean anything. Work through the pain, just take some cough syrup or some tylenol, right?

Statistically speaking... a lot of them, well, they died.

They died quiet deaths; they died and now employers are left with the people who may very well if they are told to put that screening off or to prioritize that minimum wage job ahead of their family or personal interests, they might just give a middle finger to management and walk out in the middle of the shift. And then those managers and employers are the ones saying "nobody wants to work" anymore.

It wasn't COVID that killed these people by itself, you know how communism can be blamed for people starving, this is what our economic system did to these people here and today. It's time to own up to that and do better. Much better.

https://deepblueleague.freeforums.net/thread/119/labor-shortage-er

[Farmer-Rick]

1. Well said and with footnotes

So capitalism is really responsible for the death of all those absent workers.

Like that you have a link for practically every point.

[ret5hd]

2. I think you raise an interesting semantical point:

"laborer" is a person.
"labor" is a thing.

We aren't persons to them. We are interchangeable things.

Hence, there is a labor shortage.

[markie]

3. death from Covid,

death from opioids and retirement... the work force had already been shrinking before Covid... this was predicted, however the pace picked up because of the pandemic

[Hugh_Lebowski]

4. I'd guess it's at least 85% due to border/immigration enforcement/deportations myself

That, and I bet a LOT of people moved back in with mom and dad during COVID.

[BannonsLiver]

5. I think it's the feet pics

People have found other ways to make money.

[Otto_Harper]

6. Its not a worker shortage, it is a wage and working condition shortage

We have been subjected to erratic and non-existant trash pickup service here for months. When you talk to (mega trash company), they say there is a driver shortage in our area, and they are working to correct it. That's been going on for 6 months now.

Its not a driver shortage. Its a wage and a working condition shortage. Lets do a thought experiment. If they offered $10,000 / hr, would there be a shortage of folks willing to do the job? How about $1,000 / hr. How about $100 / hr. At some point, there is a wage that, if they offered it, they would have sufficient staff to do the work.

When the truck comes by to do the weekly pickup, the crew literally jumps off of the truck, sprints to the cans in front of the houses near me and does the dump and run. When one checks their on-line account, the time of the pickup is reported, down to the second. Accompanied by a digital photo of the can that was dumped. Hence, I can only conclude that "Timmy The Wonder MBa" has structeured the job and monitoring conditions to be nearly oppressive as the worst prison camp.

I will bet, universally, if these whiney employers offered enough and provided non-oppressive working conditions, they would be able to attract sufficient workers. In fact, perhaps the only "worker shortage" we are seeing is at those companies owned and run by narcissistic sociopaths who try to exploit their workers instead of value them as the business asset they are.

[Sherman A1]

8. + 1000

[mopinko]

7. i think it's the trauma.

i hire people. i've had a few in the last year who just seemed too worn/stressed out to think. couldnt take in instructions and just quit.
doesnt help that i havent been myself either.

i think a lot of people have seen that it is now a trade off on the order of- your money or your life.
people arent taking life for granted.