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> there are more unemployed adults these days, who are forced into the restaurant and retail jobs traditionally filled by teens. While I generally agree with t

> there are more unemployed adults these days, who are forced into the restaurant and retail jobs traditionally filled by teens. While I generally agree with that thesis, everywhere I go in the USA I see an abundance of job openings at those levels. Help wanted signs are literally everywhere. Unemployment is at 4%, which is nearly full employment - yes there is a separate wages problem too, but right now nearly nationwide there are huge numbers of job openings for low skilled work.

wand3r 9y ago
2 anecdotes: I work as a waiter and there are people in their late 20s and several over 50. College grads and older folks are (in my area) filling positions held by 19-25 year olds. 2. Radio shack had a were hiring ad at all locations in my area up until a few weeks ago when they went under. It signals they were doing well. Also, companies are always trying to add people with great skills or replace people if they have high turnover. They might not actually be hiring, just backing themselves up or replacing people.
Consultant32452 9y ago
The labor participation rate is the lowest it's been since the 70s when we largely didn't allow women to work. The 4% unemployment rate is missing a lot of the story.
- bmelton 9y ago
  Maybe the rhetoric has shifted now that the administration was changed, but the last time I checked, the labor participation rate was largely attributable to: * Retiring baby boomers * Married women not needing to work * Young, work-eligible adults are in college, not employed * Robust-enough welfare that work is optional Aside from the latter, I don't know that any of the above are cause for concern.
  - thesagan 9y ago
    I'd like to see more data that counteracts the data I keep seeing: 1. Baby boomers are not retiring at the levels previously expected, and they're not retiring (and slowing down promotions for juniors). 2. Marriage rates are lower than ever. Single parent households are becoming a new norm. 3. Too many college graduates have experienced low salaries or poor job prospects compared to expectations (and now they're defaulting on their loans!) 4. Welfare/transfers are not enough and mostly go to those already in jobs, subsidizing the low wages. (The Walmart class, etc.) Now we have political instability and that's not a cause for concern?
    - bmelton 9y ago
      I wasn't meaning to imply that political instability isn't a cause for concern, but I wasn't referring to the introduction in my conclusion, just the listed points. Also, for what it's worth, I didn't intend to refer to it as political instability, rather, just the usual situation in which one administration explains uncomfortable facts differently from another. I have no idea what Trump's response to it would be, but IIRC, the Obama administration spun the low participation rate as something akin to "Well, now that people don't have to have jobs for medical insurance, now they're free to drop out of the workforce and pursue their hobbies" or something. To be fair, that didn't strike me as a terribly convincing answer, but I'd wager it unlikely that the Trump administration would "credit" the ACA for the low participation rate, even if it were true.
      - dragonwriter 9y ago
        > IIRC, the Obama administration spun the low participation rate as something akin to "Well, now that people don't have to have jobs for medical insurance, now they're free to drop out of the workforce and pursue their hobbies" or something. You recall incorrectly. The Obama Administration never spun low labor force participation like that.
  - prostoalex 9y ago
    People on disability are the fastest-growing segment of the population, NPR profiles a county where 25% of residents are disabled http://apps.npr.org/unfit-for-work/ http://apps.npr.org/unfit-for-work/

wand3r 9y ago

2 anecdotes: I work as a waiter and there are people in their late 20s and several over 50. College grads and older folks are (in my area) filling positions held by 19-25 year olds. 2. Radio shack had a were hiring ad at all locations in my area up until a few weeks ago when they went under. It signals they were doing well. Also, companies are always trying to add people with great skills or replace people if they have high turnover. They might not actually be hiring, just backing themselves up or replacing people.

Consultant32452 9y ago

The labor participation rate is the lowest it's been since the 70s when we largely didn't allow women to work. The 4% unemployment rate is missing a lot of the story.

bmelton 9y ago
Maybe the rhetoric has shifted now that the administration was changed, but the last time I checked, the labor participation rate was largely attributable to: * Retiring baby boomers * Married women not needing to work * Young, work-eligible adults are in college, not employed * Robust-enough welfare that work is optional Aside from the latter, I don't know that any of the above are cause for concern.
- thesagan 9y ago
  I'd like to see more data that counteracts the data I keep seeing: 1. Baby boomers are not retiring at the levels previously expected, and they're not retiring (and slowing down promotions for juniors). 2. Marriage rates are lower than ever. Single parent households are becoming a new norm. 3. Too many college graduates have experienced low salaries or poor job prospects compared to expectations (and now they're defaulting on their loans!) 4. Welfare/transfers are not enough and mostly go to those already in jobs, subsidizing the low wages. (The Walmart class, etc.) Now we have political instability and that's not a cause for concern?
  - bmelton 9y ago
    I wasn't meaning to imply that political instability isn't a cause for concern, but I wasn't referring to the introduction in my conclusion, just the listed points. Also, for what it's worth, I didn't intend to refer to it as political instability, rather, just the usual situation in which one administration explains uncomfortable facts differently from another. I have no idea what Trump's response to it would be, but IIRC, the Obama administration spun the low participation rate as something akin to "Well, now that people don't have to have jobs for medical insurance, now they're free to drop out of the workforce and pursue their hobbies" or something. To be fair, that didn't strike me as a terribly convincing answer, but I'd wager it unlikely that the Trump administration would "credit" the ACA for the low participation rate, even if it were true.
    - dragonwriter 9y ago
      > IIRC, the Obama administration spun the low participation rate as something akin to "Well, now that people don't have to have jobs for medical insurance, now they're free to drop out of the workforce and pursue their hobbies" or something. You recall incorrectly. The Obama Administration never spun low labor force participation like that.
- prostoalex 9y ago
  People on disability are the fastest-growing segment of the population, NPR profiles a county where 25% of residents are disabled http://apps.npr.org/unfit-for-work/ http://apps.npr.org/unfit-for-work/