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Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

nytimes.com

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Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#151

Post by imtringued »

mrfredward wrote: post #95
testfoobar wrote: post #58

You can work, but you can't afford housing, healthcare or education. This is the disastrous consequence of re-inflating another asset bubble after 2008-2009 with a decade of zero interest rates and a doubling of the national debt. The wealth inequality between capital and labor is the direct cause of political volatility globally.

In the sort run, sure, low interest rates make the assets of the rich more valuable, at least on paper. In the long run though, low interest rates push against wealth inequality. People who have more money than they need collect interest, people who need a loan to get an education or buy a house pay interest. Also, it doesn't seem plausible that an asset bubble is the reason healthcare is expensive.

The principal grows faster than the savings from the lower interest rates because other people are getting loans as well. The only way to benefit from low interest rates is if you already have a high interest rate loan from a decade ago and want to refinance.

Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#152

Post by brookhaven_dude »

xkde wrote: post #144
lotsofpulp wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have no idea. Wealth transfer? Training programs? Basic income?

So, in order: 1. Stealing from Peter to pay Paul 2. Good idea. Make it happen. 3. Also stealing, but if it were to replace the system we have now (which won’t happen) it would at least be more efficient.

It's not "stealing"

Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#153

Post by 77pt77 »

gwbas1c wrote: post #145
melvinroest wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm beginning to notice one cause on why it's tough to find a job. People have pretty strong opinions (and that includes me, and your particular comment also seems pretty strong in its opinion). I'm not sure how it ties in yet, but I think the strong opinions differ a lot. Thanks for the food for thought. I kind of know what you mean with the "smell" thing. It's also clearly visible when I go to a company that I have…

"smell" It's not really a cultural fit. I'll try to say it differently: Sometimes I suspect that candidates are struggling with mental health issues. It's not why we (the company) rejected those candidates. (We reject them because they can't do the job.) But, I suspect if those candidates took care of their mental health issues, they would be stronger candidates overall. [Edit] I'm not a doctor, so it's not my place…

>I'm not a doctor, so it's not my place to judge or diagnose anybody for their mental health issues.

Yet that's exactly what you just did.

I suspect that your mental health cop out is nothing but a rationalization for your unfounded biases.

Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#154

Post by xkde »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #150
xkde wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, in order: 1. Stealing from Peter to pay Paul 2. Good idea. Make it happen. 3. Also stealing, but if it were to replace the system we have now (which won’t happen) it would at least be more efficient.

Call it what you want, but the alternative is living in a society with extreme wealth/income disparities.

No, the alternative is adaptation.

Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#155

Post by gwbas1c »

77pt77 wrote: post #153
gwbas1c wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"smell" It's not really a cultural fit. I'll try to say it differently: Sometimes I suspect that candidates are struggling with mental health issues. It's not why we (the company) rejected those candidates. (We reject them because they can't do the job.) But, I suspect if those candidates took care of their mental health issues, they would be stronger candidates overall. [Edit] I'm not a doctor, so it's not my place…

>I'm not a doctor, so it's not my place to judge or diagnose anybody for their mental health issues. Yet that's exactly what you just did. I suspect that your mental health cop out is nothing but a rationalization for your unfounded biases.

Well, you weren't part of the interviews, so you have no business deciding if we made the right call to reject particular candidates.

I can tell you that these were very obvious "no" situations.

In one case, the candidate was incompetent and only made it to on-site because of a horrible HR snafu. The resume shouldn't have made it past screening.

In another case, the candidate nearly started an argument with me over what was essentially a game of "let's pretend" so I could ask some very mundane SQL questions.

Both of these candidates were extremely slovenly in their appearance.

> I suspect that your mental health cop out is nothing but a rationalization for your unfounded biases.

I think you also need to inspect your biases. Both of these candidates were fundamentally unfit for office work; not cases of someone failing an interview because they didn't write fizzbuzz exactly the way I would.

Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#156

Post by xkde »

brookhaven_dude wrote: post #152
xkde wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, in order: 1. Stealing from Peter to pay Paul 2. Good idea. Make it happen. 3. Also stealing, but if it were to replace the system we have now (which won’t happen) it would at least be more efficient.

It's not "stealing"

What would you call 9 people in a group of ten voting to take away the tenth guy’s stuff because they wanted to? I call it what it is - stealing. Greed. Envy. Interestingly, it will probably lead to more equality; it just won’t be what you’re expecting and I don’t think you’ll like the result. At this point though, the people probably deserve to get what they want and get it good and hard.

Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#157

Post by cannonedhamster »

pjc50 wrote: post #46
crdoconnor wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Somewhat ironic since we were told in no uncertain terms that automation would cause the exact opposite to happen.

"Service" roles have been put in a weird state where, because they involve relating to humans, they're difficult to automate. But because they involve doing what you're told, with low room for autonomy and creativity, they're low-status and therefore low paid.

It would be trivial to replace servers, but there's an initial cost investment most restaurants can't afford. The obvious transition is those screens you see popping up everywhere. It's going to be the next step are conveyer belts that deliver the food to your table. Industrial automation already exists for this. Need to send it back open the receptacle click the screen to say what's wrong and your order will come back correct.

Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#158

Post by madengr »

tempsy wrote: post #106
madengr wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m guessing that is mostly 401k savings, not liquid savings, which essentially can’t be touched until 60.

The survey says this is based on savings in bank accounts not a 401k Either way there’s nothing preventing you from “touching” 401k savings. You pay a 10% penalty.

Ha ha, there’s no way in hell I believe those numbers. This says it’s no more than $5k on average, at best. More like $2,500.

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2019/03/11/how-much-money-americans...

Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#159

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

xkde wrote: post #154
lotsofpulp wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Call it what you want, but the alternative is living in a society with extreme wealth/income disparities.

No, the alternative is adaptation.

Well, I guess all those people living in tents under the freeway in Seattle have "adapted" then. Problem solved!

Re: Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low Unemployment

#160

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

smaddox wrote: post #36
pithymaxim wrote: post #19

>nearly 40 percent of Americans, a Federal Reserve report found, are in such a financially precarious state that they say they would have trouble finding $400 for an unexpected expense like a car repair or a medical bill. This has got to be the most repeated statistic in reporting on hardship, but the actual responses seem way less dire: https://twitter.com/p_millerd/status/1118071142311288838?lan...

14% is still ~35 million adults. That's still a problem. And yes it's better than it was right after the global financial crisis, but this boom is not going to last forever. Our economic policies and policy makers are too busy sticking their heads in the sand.

But honestly, even if all those people made twice as much, you'd still see millions of people unable to cover an unexpected expense (maybe not 14%, but, say, 10%).

I've met more than a few people who are just mentally unable to save money. The second they get money, they spend it, regardless of the actual need.

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