Where Did All The Workers Go?

[rokdog49]

Talk about your science fiction mysteries, I am completely baffled. Not so much by the fact that they are gone. The Pandemic had a lot to do with that. I understand that once we got back to some sort of a normal life, pent up demand for goods and services blew the roof off and threw things out of whack.
The question is, where are those workers now and what are they doing to earn money to live?
Is it the”perfect storm” of everything combined? Why won’t the youth who are now out of school for the summer, work somewhere? Are mommy and daddy subsidizing their lifestyles? Where are the unskilled who could get trained in the trades …for free…and with sign on bonuses…and what are they doing for money?
Is it that no one can pass the drug tests?
I reiterate…where are they?
What are your thoughts?

[Mr. Jelly]

I have been following this and the best factual information that makes any real sense to me is that it comes down to two things. One is that millions of older people around retirement age retired. The other is that people that didn't really need to work quit and stayed out of the work market. This would be people like retired people that worked part time jobs and young parents that worked to supplement the family income as examples. Most of the open jobs today are the crappy jobs that nobody really wants to work at. And with the lack of quality workers to do the crappy jobs those jobs have become even less desirable. I have seen fast food chain places that have over worked very poor quality and handicapped help be at the point they should close the doors.

[RedJoker]

I don't think it's a simple answer. I know a lot of folks that have retired. I know of a lot of folks that are leaving the service industry due to how nasty the public has become. I know of people that have gotten higher paying jobs and no longer have to work two jobs. I know of families that one parent now stays home because of high child care cost.

Having said that, we always have applicants for our higher paying positions.

[CoastStrings]

"Where Did All The Workers Go?" <- Sounds like a great title for a folk song along the lines of Peter Seeger

But I don't have an answer either.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Talk about your science fiction mysteries, I am completely baffled. Not so much by the fact that they are gone. The Pandemic had a lot to do with that. I understand that once we got back to some sort of a normal life, pent up demand for goods and services blew the roof off and threw things out of whack.
The question is, where are those workers now and what are they doing to earn money to live?
Is it the”perfect storm” of everything combined? Why won’t the youth who are now out of school for the summer, work somewhere? Are mommy and daddy subsidizing their lifestyles? Where are the unskilled who could get trained in the trades …for free…and with sign on bonuses…and what are they doing for money?
Is it that no one can pass the drug tests?
I reiterate…where are they?
What are your thoughts?

Maybe you are reflecting or writing about a particular region or from poor or incomplete information? For context, I'm a director level who supports an upper Midwest enterprise with 4 locations. We have 576 full-time first line workers and around 200 part-time often student workers. Unemployment is lowest it's been in a very long time. Most of that group are 3+ years into 10% plus to 20% wage and benefit increases.

Even the top employer in our niche reputation cannot fix skills and aptitude matters.

Most of the teens in my neighborhood have jobs and also unlike a long time, many are back in jobs not so "student". One of my 18 year old twins is in his second summer of management responsibilities. His bro who's not been at BestBuy very long got elevated responsibilities right away based on skills and aptitude.

At times I wonder if the obesity epidemic impacts this more than people realize. I'm in my 60s and am shocked by how many in their 30s through my age can't keep up with how I can move in the buildings and do physical work.

The most laziness we see in staff is not young staff. My boomer cohort and many following behind are often a horrible problem for an enterprise that has to be competitive. It's very hard to get them willing or able to build the skills where the whole world pays a living wage.

I do know we have had many who've left a bit early in the past few years but now in actual HR system stats, we have replace them - the jobs are filled.

We offer benefits for less than 40 hour a week employees some places don't have. That helps fill seats. I know child care and commute costs so understand how some can find working "not worth it" where that reality is often just one in a couple staying home.

Edit: We stopped drug and systematic profile testing before the pandemic. Both were really smart business. We have more skilled and loyal staff and more seats filled same time we eliminated a significant cost. That testing was just plain stupid. It didn't do anything to cut out people who drink too much alcohol or the very real problem of obese people.

[jpd]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Talk about your science fiction mysteries, I am completely baffled.
I reiterate…where are they?
What are your thoughts?

Same here.... shops all over town have signs up referring to the lack of help, the extra time for your order, the lines and lack of products. Can the fact that "teleworking" became a viable work place be the main reason? Have people discovered a way to survive without working on a regular basis? I know quite a few 30+ year-olds that are maintaining without traditional work careers...

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by imwjl

Maybe you are reflecting or writing about a particular region or from poor or incomplete information? For context, I'm a director level who supports an upper Midwest enterprise with 4 locations. We have 576 full-time first line workers and around 200 part-time often student workers. Unemployment is lowest it's been in a very long time. Most of that group are 3+ years into 10% plus to 20% wage and benefit increases.

Even the top employer in our niche reputation cannot fix skills and aptitude matters.

Most of the teens in my neighborhood have jobs and also unlike a long time, many are back in jobs not so "student". One of my 18 year old twins is in his second summer of management responsibilities. His bro who's not been at BestBuy very long got elevated responsibilities right away based on skills and aptitude.

At times I wonder if the obesity epidemic impacts this more than people realize. I'm in my 60s and am shocked by how many in their 30s through my age can't keep up with how I can move in the buildings and do physical work.

The most laziness we see in staff is not young staff. My boomer cohort and many following behind are often a horrible problem for an enterprise that has to be competitive. It's very hard to get them willing or able to build the skills where the whole world pays a living wage.

I do know we have had many who've left a bit early in the past few years but now in actual HR system stats, we have replace them - the jobs are filled.

We offer benefits for less than 40 hour a week employees some places don't have. That helps fill seats. I know child care and commute costs so understand how some can find working "not worth it" where that reality is often just one in a couple staying home.

Edit: We stopped drug and systematic profile testing before the pandemic. Both were really smart business. We have more skilled and loyal staff and more seats filled same time we eliminated a significant cost. That testing was just plain stupid. It didn't do anything to cut out people who drink too much alcohol or the very real problem of obese people.

Ummmm, there are some statements here that reflect one person's bias against others based, seemingly, on personal attributes. I don't think this belongs in a public forum any more than it does in the workplace.

[perttime]

One result of COVID in my corner of the world is that many workers in the restaurant and catering businesses have "disappeared". They couldn't work while restaurants were closed, so they went and looked for something else to do. And found something that they are happy to do.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Dogma

Ummmm, there are some statements here that reflect one person's bias against others based, seemingly, on personal attributes. I don't think this belongs in a public forum any more than it does in the workplace.

It is probably bias that I've been able to embrace change and adapt to the new work place changes into my 60s, but not bias that obesity is a serious problem in our enterprise and elsewhere. It's a matter that comes up with our insurers and in circles where we share business learning and efforts to aid it in a positive matter.

I will also disclose that weight is a problem I've overcome. I was a teased fat kid where William was "Potbilly" (belly instead of Billy) as a child. I'm 2007 to now in a second time adult effort to maintain better well being.

In the work place our near 1000 employees are my precious people where I do all I can to support them. I wish I had good answers. In the same way drug and psychological profile testing didn't work, I'm not sure we could just say you have to be fit as is the case in some professions.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by jpd

Same here.... shops all over town have signs up referring to the lack of help, the extra time for your order, the lines and lack of products. Can the fact that "teleworking" became a viable work place be the main reason? Have people discovered a way to survive without working on a regular basis? I know quite a few 30+ year-olds that are maintaining without traditional work careers...

Our parent firm did not reopen our cafes. Everyone in those business areas was offered other work because our grocery business grew. Many decided to leave first line worker jobs altogether, but something interesting is many new employees came from similar closed businesses and big chains including a lot from Walmart.

In our HQ metro area I'm aware that a lot of first line workers moved to the strong biotech, lab and Pharma manufacturing areas that grew a lot in recent years.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by jpd

Same here.... shops all over town have signs up referring to the lack of help, the extra time for your order, the lines and lack of products. Can the fact that "teleworking" became a viable work place be the main reason? Have people discovered a way to survive without working on a regular basis? I know quite a few 30+ year-olds that are maintaining without traditional work careers...

I will start by saying that I am not knowledgeable in the areas of the OP's comments, so I can't address that.

Your post got me thinking that maybe it is time for "beam me up, Scotty" so that we can order goods online and have them beamed to our homes, fast food ordered and beamed immediately to our table.

Regarding 30+ year olds that are maintaining without traditional work careers, I remember that when I was in my 20s and 30s and single, I could live on VERY little, could easily move as I wanted because I didn't own much.

Back in the 1970s, there was an article in Mother Earth News from a guy who worked 6 months a year and lived in the city (i.e. not one of the more usual articles about living off the grid). The article detailed how he did that and I adapted his ideas and, though I did work all year, I lived on very little.

I don't know what young folks are doing these days, but I did read that the younger generations are less about "stuff" then my generation and maybe it is possible (?) that some of them live as I did back then.

Just some general thoughts not based on any presumed knowledge other than the part about my personal experience. I will say that I have personally observed nearly every retail shop I go to around here seems to have a shortage of workers, but I don't have a clue as to where they all went and why.

There seems to be a shortage of engineers, based on the contacts I get from recruiters almost daily even though I am retired. But, then, that has always seemed to be true, not only these days.

Tony

[rllink]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

I have been following this and the best factual information that makes any real sense to me is that it comes down to two things. One is that millions of older people around retirement age retired. The other is that people that didn't really need to work quit and stayed out of the work market. This would be people like retired people that worked part time jobs and young parents that worked to supplement the family income as examples. Most of the open jobs today are the crappy jobs that nobody really wants to work at. And with the lack of quality workers to do the crappy jobs those jobs have become even less desirable. I have seen fast food chain places that have over worked very poor quality and handicapped help be at the point they should close the doors.

I think this is a very good insight into what is happening. I know a number of young couples that had two incomes before and one lost their job or got laid off, reevaluated their finances and came to the realization that working, especially for a young couple with kids is expensive. They learned to get along on a single income and they like their new lifestyle. That trend, along with people retiring and less people in the workforce to replace them is causing a shortage. I think working just for the sake of working is a thing of the past.

My own circumstances, I'm old and my wife and I have a good retirement plan so we don't have to work. But I know a young fellow who manages a sporting good store. I've known him since he was a kid, and he is always trying to hire me to work there. I penciled it out one day and, gas, clothes, eating, it all adds up, I would be working for three bucks an hour and I would probably spend that in the store on crap I don't need. If what he is offering me is what he pays his regular employees who have kids, a car payment and a house payment, I don't know how they can afford to work for him.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by rllink

I think this is a very good insight into what is happening. I know a number of young couples that had two incomes before and one lost their job or got laid off, reevaluated their finances and came to the realization that working, especially for a young couple with kids is expensive. They learned to get along on a single income and they like their new lifestyle. That trend, along with people retiring and less people in the workforce to replace them is causing a shortage. I think working just for the sake of working is a thing of the past.

My own circumstances, I'm old and my wife and I have a good retirement plan so we don't have to work. But I know a young fellow who manages a sporting good store. I've known him since he was a kid, and he is always trying to hire me to work there. I penciled it out one day and, gas, clothes, eating, it all adds up, I would be working for three bucks an hour and I would probably spend that in the store on crap I don't need. If what he is offering me is what he pays his regular employees who have kids, a car payment and a house payment, I don't know how they can afford to work for him.

Interesting observation. My wife and I both retired when we first visited the financial advisor at Fidelity. She had us compile our budget as accurately as possible and describe similarly our lifestyle both then and as we intended in retirement.

She then "ran the numbers" as they do and asked why we were still working. I said that I thought you were supposed to work until age 65 since everybody I knew did that. She told us that you can stop working when you can afford to, rather than being dictated to us by a specific age. So, we stopped working. I was 60 at the time. Now, 9 years later, we are still doing fine.

Maybe more people are realizing this too?

Tony

[LiveMusic]

A friend recently told me that the local Sonic is now closing at 6pm because "they can't find any workers." I don't get it, kids are out of school. And if they can stay open till 6, why not 6-10? Are kids now unwilling to work 'after hours?' It is young kids who work those Sonics. (eat-in-your-vehicle fast food)

[Wellington]

Deleted my original post, move along.