Labor shortage or terrible jobs? • Hacker News Board

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#561

Post by 8note » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:39 AM UTC

humanrebar wrote: post #442

8note wrote: post #413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In what location though? Living costs are notably different by location

Apologies, but I'd rather not reveal too much personal info. But I did get need-based financial assistance in university. And I did attend a low cost school for financial reasons. I didn't "pay my way through school washing dishes" or anything like that. I wasn't supported by my family so the extra income through low pay jobs was critical.

Oh no problem, I'm just pointing out that both your experiences can be valid at the same time

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#562

Post by Igelau » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:40 AM UTC

8note wrote: post #551

read_if_gay_ wrote: post #527

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think so? While companies are incentivized to hire kids, the kids don't get any more incentive to do these jobs though (wage stays the same), and neither would the supply of them grow.

Do the kids become more incentivized to work if their parents income decreases? I would say yes

Result: a class of families consisting of unemployable parents supported by the state and their own working children :(

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#563

Post by dv_dt » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:41 AM UTC

jschveibinz wrote: post #2

This article unfortunately doesn't address the business side of the problem. Fast food restaurants, or place like "Dale's" mentioned in the article, make very little profit. It is most likely below 10%. Here is an estimate: https://www.restaurant365.com/blog/what-is-the-average-profi... . A 10% profit is very modest. That's not the story of the "fat cats getting rich on the back of the workers" that the article is al…

Fast food restaurants do fine in other nations. In sweden, one survey puts a Big Mac combo meal at 15% higher than in Fresco. About 1.50 different.

https://www.expatistan.com/price/big-mac/stockholm/USD

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#564

Post by saddlerustle » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:41 AM UTC

8note wrote: post #466

kukx wrote: post #340

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rising the minimum wage is exactly the thing that should not be done, if one cares about the employment levels. It prices out the least qualified workforce of the market. To put it simply the less able/educated/experienced are not productive enough to cover own costs. So that no one wants to employ them and they are stuck. They start to rely on the government to provide them with resources and it means that have to v…

Realistically, GDP has grown substantially with the owners receiving nearly all the benefits. Raising the minimum wage is unlikely to affect employment much because of just how profitable companies are today Mind you I think a better tslternative to a specific minimum wage is to have a guaranteed government job at a specific wage. That sets a bar that all labourers have an option, while some lower paying jobs can sti…

Corporate profits as a fraction of GDP hasn't changed much.

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#565

Post by smabie » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:42 AM UTC

maybelsyrup wrote: post #263

smabie wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

plight: "a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation." Pretty sure a business can have plight.

It was hyperbolic, yes, but only a little, I think. The point I was making is that we've drunk a lot of koolaid about corporations being legal persons, as having rights, etc., such that no one bats an eye at anthropomorphisms like "the suffering of a company". My claim is that a) those words in that context are anthropomorphisms, metaphors, and b) that I don't think we've had much of a conversation about the koolaid…

A company is just a group of people right? Like people talk about the plight of the Syrian people or whatever. What's the difference?

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#566

Post by emodendroket » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:43 AM UTC

8note wrote: post #551

read_if_gay_ wrote: post #527

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think so? While companies are incentivized to hire kids, the kids don't get any more incentive to do these jobs though (wage stays the same), and neither would the supply of them grow.

Do the kids become more incentivized to work if their parents income decreases? I would say yes

I would say maybe it’s not a dream society if we’re creating a class of helots to maximize teenage labor force participation.

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#567

Post by Strs2FillMyDrms » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:43 AM UTC

jschveibinz wrote: post #2

This article unfortunately doesn't address the business side of the problem. Fast food restaurants, or place like "Dale's" mentioned in the article, make very little profit. It is most likely below 10%. Here is an estimate: https://www.restaurant365.com/blog/what-is-the-average-profi... . A 10% profit is very modest. That's not the story of the "fat cats getting rich on the back of the workers" that the article is al…

The problem is not that the margin is small, is that big companies get to cover the losses of the uncertain(unforeseen situations) with the foreseeable profits, while at the same time (as an extra bonus from their government lobbying) maintaining a minimal labor cost. The price of their product is unreachable to small business, small business are not failing because the labor is too demanding (I know you did not explicitly stated this, but it could be construed as if). They are doing so because the competition is too big.

This is my cynical approach... A right-to-center leaning person is in no position to argue "handouts are to blame", or "zoomers/millenials want it easy"... a truly right-to-center political commentary should be telling restaurant owners "Work smarter".

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#568

Post by Igelau » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:44 AM UTC

andromeduck wrote: post #549

enjoyyourlife wrote: post #430

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That incentivizes companies to hire teenagers instead of adults

Only if adults can't compete with teenagers.

At that level, "cheaper" is the killer feature. There's no competing with the cheaper option.

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#569

Post by richardjennings » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:44 AM UTC

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #410

richardjennings wrote: post #397

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"and now the exploited have been drained dry". I do not think this is true in the absolute currently. I do think that the modern economies are imparting pressures that will make this more true over time. The question every one asks is "What is the point?". The answer is increasingly, there is no point. What about the answers previous generation might have had; send money home, improve life chances with an education,…

> a room the size of a double bed No one's building those, so maybe a tent in or near an abandoned mall.

Not the most prestigious news outlet - but fact checkable and perhaps a vision of the future: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14815353/househunters-slam-tin...

Re: Labor shortage or terrible jobs?

#570

Post by adgjlsfhk1 » Sat, May 01, 2021, 1:44 AM UTC

rufus_foreman wrote: post #550

adgjlsfhk1 wrote: post #547

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've looked for about 20 minutes and haven't been able to find a reliable figure nationally, so from a quick search on apartments.com for Minneapolis (random city not known for high cost of living), the 20th percentile studio apartment is $1000. If you want to split an appartment, I'm going to check 1 bedroom, since 2 unrelated people in a studio isn't really practical. Then the 20th percentile is about $1150. (on av…

20th percentile apartments don't get advertised on apartments.com, that costs money.

So do you have a link to a reliable figure as to what 20th percentile rent is? "I'm sure you would agree with me if you knew a statistic that I'm not going to share with you" is hardly a convincing argument.