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Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

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Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#131

Post by lacker »

disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #70
lacker wrote: post #32

Personally, the pandemic has taught me how little I really need physical stores. Only a few items, like bicycles, shoes, and backpacking backpacks, do I really prefer buying them in a physical store. So for me at least, it would be okay if all these retail jobs went away, and all these retail stores just went out of business, and you just bought everything online. It seems like it could really be a disaster for peopl…

How do you handle buying clothes?

I just buy them online like anything else, in the same size I always wear. I had already stopped buying clothes in-person before the pandemic. I guess I am normally-shaped enough that I don't run into problems with things fitting this way, but certainly this is more problematic for some people.

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#132

Post by gruez »

petre wrote: post #60
gonational wrote: post #22

Timeline of Stupidity A: "we should give everyone free money!" B: "no, that'll make everyone lazy..." A: "no, people will work on things they love instead!" [everyone gets free money] [nobody works, everyone plays video games all day] A: "see, this proves that everyone was being exploited!" B: [smh] Plato's Five Regimes. We're entering the fourth regime.

Video games are considered e-sports in South Korea and some people do get paid to play them. Imagine a full stadium with a few guys playing games and the audience watching them on big screens.

You're technically right in the sense that some people do play video games for a living, but you're still wrong because GP talked about "everyone" playing video games for a living. just like you can't have everyone being actors/writers/musicians, you can't have everyone be esports players. There's only so much attention to go around, and the overwhelming majority is captured by a few at the top.

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#133

Post by jolux »

gruez wrote: post #113
mywittyname wrote: post #20

I've long felt that many jobs paid unsustainably low wages. There are a lot of jobs where your net pay is below zero, long term, when you factor in the external costs associated with working, such as needing transportation. These jobs have been propped up by debt. It looks like the pandemic has put and end to this. Transportation costs have skyrocketed to such a degree that it's basically impossible for a poor person…

>I've long felt that many jobs paid unsustainably low wages. Can you elaborate on this? $7.25 * 8 hours = $58. It's hard to imagine expenses adding up anywhere close to $58/day, especially if you factor in that in high cost of living areas the minimum wage is also higher than $7.25.

>It's hard to imagine expenses adding up anywhere close to $58/day

Well thankfully we don't have to imagine, people have researched this: https://livingwage.mit.edu/. According to these data, the living wage across the US in 2019 was $16.54: https://livingwage.mit.edu/articles/61-new-living-wage-data-.... So it's not at all inconceivable that the federal minimum is a poverty wage, in fact it almost certainly is.

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#134

Post by gruez »

throwaway1777 wrote: post #97
leetcrew wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's pretty common for the second shift to start right around the time highschool gets out. or if it doesn't, the manager might be flexible. dinner rush doesn't usually start until 6:00 or so. there's also the weekend. obviously highschoolers are not filling 100% of entry-level food service jobs, but they make up a pretty good chunk of these workers along with some college kids. it's a good option for someone who has…

Except it’s not really a good option. Maybe a high schooler should be focusing on school.

>Maybe a high schooler should be focusing on school.

How do you feel about college students working part time during their studies?

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#135

Post by paulpauper »

cratermoon wrote: post #30
recursivedoubts wrote: post #7

Maybe one of these days the pro-labor left and the pro-labor right are gonna figure it out, stop taking the bait, and we'll finally get a real revolution.

> pro-labor right Such a thing does not exist.

how about socially conservative union workers, for example.

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#137

Post by paulpauper »

kokanator wrote: post #42
recursivedoubts wrote: post #7

Maybe one of these days the pro-labor left and the pro-labor right are gonna figure it out, stop taking the bait, and we'll finally get a real revolution.

Revolution is NOT the answer. Think a bit harder on the problem than to simply cry revolution. Swaths of people die, families are destroyed, the economy is destroyed, the nation becomes vulnerable ( if you still have a nation ). You will have to deal with the problems you created before you ever get the opportunity to work on what you were originally revolting about.

What about the American Revolution (not that this would work, but some revolutions do work)

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#138

Post by lastofthemojito »

gruez wrote: post #113
mywittyname wrote: post #20

I've long felt that many jobs paid unsustainably low wages. There are a lot of jobs where your net pay is below zero, long term, when you factor in the external costs associated with working, such as needing transportation. These jobs have been propped up by debt. It looks like the pandemic has put and end to this. Transportation costs have skyrocketed to such a degree that it's basically impossible for a poor person…

>I've long felt that many jobs paid unsustainably low wages. Can you elaborate on this? $7.25 * 8 hours = $58. It's hard to imagine expenses adding up anywhere close to $58/day, especially if you factor in that in high cost of living areas the minimum wage is also higher than $7.25.

I think the classic example of this is the pizza delivery driver (or now the gig economy food delivery driver).

The driver might think "I made $100 today, great!", but they generally don't have a good sense for their total expenses. Sure, they know how much gas cost them this week, but they don't know how much the next auto repair will be, or how much depreciation they're incurring on their vehicle. And when their auto insurance goes up because they've been driving so many miles, that's out-of-pocket too - no employer is picking that up.

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#139

Post by pydry »

colinmhayes wrote: post #129
pydry wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Worse than 20 years ago but sure, better than the 1800s.

The existence of smartphones alone makes life much better than it was 20 years ago.

Sure, I mean, you might be priced out of a home but you can play flappy birds.

So that's something.

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#140

Post by jolux »

throwaway1777 wrote: post #97
leetcrew wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's pretty common for the second shift to start right around the time highschool gets out. or if it doesn't, the manager might be flexible. dinner rush doesn't usually start until 6:00 or so. there's also the weekend. obviously highschoolers are not filling 100% of entry-level food service jobs, but they make up a pretty good chunk of these workers along with some college kids. it's a good option for someone who has…

Except it’s not really a good option. Maybe a high schooler should be focusing on school.

I didn't work in food service but I did work a service job (supervising children, teaching robotics, and hosting birthday parties for kids) in high school. I did not manage to save any of the money I made, but I definitely learned a lot from the experience. Namely: most people have no respect for service workers, and some people seem to have active contempt for them. Quite unpleasant. I don't think high schoolers should have to work for a living, but then again I don't think adults should either. However, I do think the experience of working service jobs is one that more people should have.
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