6 ms·

Saw an article yesterday, some expert, something like "2 in X working age adults don't want a job / don't want to work" - also skill sets need updating and who

Saw an article yesterday, some expert, something like "2 in X working age adults don't want a job / don't want to work" - also skill sets need updating and who should pay to train employees needs debating, maybe a fed subsidy.. Around the city I live in, the past 6 months wages have started to increase a bit, some chain restaurants now have banners out front "starting at $12/hour". Many places are short staffed and lose business because of it. Problem is, the living wage here has increased to around $23 / hour. I'm sure you could live in one of the slums for less, and you could be on the section 8 waiting list for 2 years hoping to live for less if you can couch surf and bridge sleep while waiting... mit's living wage calc says an adult can living wage here for $11.24 / hour - I've tried to help people find cheap housing options in town several times the past two years and I just don't see how those numbers work out. The calculator says 1 adult 1 child, $22.77 per hour - that seems more doable, although I think most people living here would be spending much more than $11,508 on housing, so at that rate they would be sacrificing healthcare and probably transportation or whatever to make it work. People don't want to work full time and not be able to afford basic necessities. Another problem is so many jobs say they drug test, but there is (at least not that I have found yet) not a job listing site or category for "Smiling faces" aka 'we don't test for weed in your system as long as you toke at home and don't show up with red eyes / moving slow with a bag of chips in hand.' So yeah, try paying more for sure. Get more realistic with labeling jobs. In some cases making transportation free would get you some excellent workers who can't afford $20 per day for ubers but want to work further from their apartment where you job is. I've watched many here struggle to find rides to work and jobs that are $5 or under for uber to get there. There is more that can be done for sure. As so many places try to not pay well, I see more and more that are closed when they should be open, or running slow and losing business because they are short staffed. Certainly steak and shake could pay $20 an hour for third shift workers if it meant they could stay open and make many times that. Things I've been noticing in this growing city are not indicative of the whole country / world - so whatever bias yeah I know.

chrisseaton 8y ago
> not a job listing site or category for "Smiling faces" aka 'we don't test for weed in your system Why's this called 'smiling faces'?
- SQL2219 8y ago
  He might be referring to stock photo websites, you know the kind.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- stevenicr 8y ago
  Because I've noticed that fast food places and similar use signage saying "now hiring smiling faces" - implying you just have to show up to work. No experience required, not discriminating on your criminal history or ability to pass a drug test.. at least that's the way I've been seeing it. As opposed so other jobs; home depot advertises drug testing on the front door. Plumbing places have "all employees drug screened / background checked" - some places have "bachelors degree or equiv".. Some places have no paper application, requiring you to have internet access to apply - and then computer "personality tests" to be considered for interview. In my (admittedly limited) experience, many of these things are saying they are trying to discriminate in one way or another, but "now hiring smiling faces" is kind of the bat signal for the X in 10 people who don't fair well with drug tests and criminal background tests, etc. If you are aware of a similar moniker or whatever, I'd like to know. I've been trying to help people get jobs around town for years and have seriously been considering crowd sourcing a green friendly job board - there are lots of decent people out there that want to work but have been repeatedly beaten down by so many time wasters out there.
  - chrisseaton 8y ago
    Sounds like a good idea, but I wouldn't market with this 'smiling faces' name as I have never seen nor heard of the concept and it took you five paragraphs to explain what it means :)
nostrebored 8y ago
As someone who grew up in a house of 4 that spent multiple years living off of a single unemployment check, you'd be surprised at how easily you can fall into a very low spending pattern when you have to. Slums in the US can be fine. If it's just surface level disrepair that's fine. The real issue is cultural, especially if you have kids. You haven't said which city you're in, but I think the number of cities in the US where it wouldn't be possible to live alone on $25,000 a year is actually quite low.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- rorykoehler 8y ago
  Health insurance?
  - mooreds 8y ago
    Medicaid is an option, especially if you have kids. Google found this, which seems useful: https://www.policygenius.com/blog/a-state-by-state-guide-to-medicaid/ https://www.policygenius.com/blog/a-state-by-state-guide-to-...
- stevenicr 8y ago
  I respect your experience growing up. I have had similar situations over the years including some growing up, and been close friends with many and watched how it can "work". Living for years by skipping oil changes, hair cuts, dental health, bald tires, all those things - not good for the family or the community really, but it can be done. Not sure how long ago it was for you and where, but I know that things are harder today money wise than they were when I was growing up, in several ways. Aside from gas being under $1 / gallon and food prices and such being different, there was not the need for broadband internet and some other modern day "staples" - without getting into a debate about the need for $200/mth cable not being a need, and other things, the divide has greater effects socially / in schools etc I believe. You did mention the issue is cultural and these things are part of that I guess. The city I describe is my experience in Nashville TN - before out last full term mayor, perhaps around the time you were growing up? - apartments near the airport area could be found around $600 /mth - they weren't the best, but they did not have gangs blocking the corners either. A decade of hastened gentrification and it's hard to find decent apartments for double the old price. Gas, food, and other things have gone up - yet for many going from $8 /hr to $12 an hour is not going to get you far around here these days. I think it's easier for me to think that guys would have an easier time living on $25k per year, and that many women would find the living conditions with that kind of money with today's prices around here to be tough to live with. The few cheap places to live around the city, and even the next county or two over, are likely to be less safe than one of the gated communities down the road from Miley's or Taylor's places. I've been expanding my searches to the middle of the state and looking at other states to find affordable places to suggest people consider looking. There are some trailers about 2 hours from here for about $400/mth - but the utilities will be high, especially this time of the year. Of course people living two hours away are not likely going to come to the city to fill these jobs at $12 /hr. So I guess those businesses who want to keep paying less than a living wage around here need to consider that the pool of people willing to work those jobs are people who can't get a better gig, so probably male, willing to live in sketchy places, likely can't pass a drug test or they would get a home depot gig or similar. With such a small pool to draw from, some kind of perks will need to be advertised, like comped transportation, no drug tests, etc. There are plenty of places around town that I walk out of or choose not to go to, knowing that the labor making the food, or cleaning, or watching kids, or all kinds of important things, is probably not the best choice for important things like food safety, etc. I also get that this can be a cultural thing, and different strokes for different folks and all that. I'd really love to see the monthly spending budgets of lots of the people around here that work for under $22, it just doesn't seem possible in most parts around here, and certainly not sustainable long term.
mruts 8y ago
Clearly the solution is just raise the minimum wage to $35/hr ala Elizabeth Warren
- sovietmudkipz 8y ago
  I know you say this statement in sarcasm but I'd like to explore this world. If minimum wage was $35/hr I bet quite a few things would happen. Entrenched, successful businesses would support the change. Their competition struggle to afford competing. Businesses will close down, further entrenching the competition. Jobs will disappear. Just like how the wage hike for New York car washers displaced workers though automation, many businesses will have an even higher economic incentive to replace workers with automation solutions. Some jobs just won't pull in enough to make it worth it. Why pay someone $74,000/yr to take orders at a restaurant when you can pay for a $50,000 and ~$20,000/yr in maintenance. Young workers will be out competed by older workers. If you're paying $35/hr, you want the best bang for your buck. Why take a risk on some 16 year old when you have retired 56 year olds who would be willing to pay for their medication working fast food. Or heck, why go into engineering when a basic job gets you above average pay? Where will the younger generation get a chance to develop the soft skillset that allows for future success in their careers? Naturally, I'm failing to consider the long term economic effects. For example; harder earned skillsets will be paid much more than low skillsets. If the supply chain is paying massively for a work force, then the price of goods & services will go up dramatically. It's harder to puzzle this sort of stuff out!
- gruez 8y ago
  >raise the minimum wage to $35/hr ala Elizabeth Warren https://www.google.com/search?q=Elizabeth+warren+35+minimum+wage https://www.google.com/search?q=Elizabeth+warren+35+minimum+... ???
- JamesBarney 8y ago
  Just in case anyone reads this and gets the wrong impression. Elizabeth Warren wasn't arguing for a $35/hr minimum wage, but just making a point that if the minimum wage had increased at the same rate as the earnings for the top 1% it would be at $33/hr. She was actually arguing for a $10/hr minimum wage.
murph-almighty 8y ago
>Another problem is so many jobs say they drug test, but there is (at least not that I have found yet) not a job listing site or category for "Smiling faces" aka 'we don't test for weed in your system as long as you toke at home and don't show up with red eyes / moving slow with a bag of chips in hand.' I'm kind of shocked this doesn't exist yet, but then again, I can understand why a company might not want to openly advertise that they don't drug test. In my (very) limited experience, employers will usually say they drug test but never really follow up on it. It usually took me a bit more effort to find out if I was going to get tested or not, and even then it's a bit of an awkward conversation to have because it implies there's a reason you want to dodge the test.
- stevenicr 8y ago
  Ive been racking my brain how to make this, perhaps crowd source info.. scrape listing for a while. Then make it premium to advertise premium spots. Mainly it would be good for society - saving people lots of time, and getting more people working, and more jobs filled. I've noticed some employers do tests on application, then don't again for years. I've witnessed people losing jobs when they ran afoul of office politics, then suddenly a test was 'randomly' given. I think some places around here use some kind of percentages thinking to say, 'if we drug test applicants, make them use an internet portal to apply, and give one of those personality quizzes before an interview' - we can be sure that 99% of our applicants will be white. I can't say for sure that is what is going on at some places around here, I don't have any inside info saying exactly that - but, when you have a place that needs help doing oil changes and they put up all those hoops to jump through, you have wonder what their target worker market is and why. Maybe they just don't want 'white trash' people under cars getting greasy. Anyhow, a "smile and work" portal would be beneficial to society imho. Maybe more so in busy cities.
grigjd3 8y ago
Your town doesn't have a bus?
- stevenicr 8y ago
  yes we have buses all over. Some cool maps and stuff for them too. But, the timing and such is limited. (also serious lack of sidewalks, bus stop covers and other issues) recently... girl lives near the airport, has job at X big box store, 12 minute drive from here. Bus routes from here take you down to 'antioch' then back into the city, where you need to junction with another bus to get back a few miles south of city. Depending on time of day, the scheduling puts it at 2 hours 20 minutes to get to work. When big box store needs you to be there at open, you need to leave for work at 3am... but no buses run at 3, so you have to leave at 11pm to get to work at 6am. Getting home via bus is easier though. admittedly the bus service does take care of certain 'economically challenged" areas better - if you live in Antioch you can jump on a bus to get downtown in much less time. If you needed to connect to go south again, it's still silly, but shaves about 30 minutes off (one hour fifty minutes). I long for the day of smart voltron like buses, guess I should post about it since our city just cant get transport right.

chrisseaton 8y ago

> not a job listing site or category for "Smiling faces" aka 'we don't test for weed in your system Why's this called 'smiling faces'?

SQL2219 8y ago
He might be referring to stock photo websites, you know the kind.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
stevenicr 8y ago
Because I've noticed that fast food places and similar use signage saying "now hiring smiling faces" - implying you just have to show up to work. No experience required, not discriminating on your criminal history or ability to pass a drug test.. at least that's the way I've been seeing it. As opposed so other jobs; home depot advertises drug testing on the front door. Plumbing places have "all employees drug screened / background checked" - some places have "bachelors degree or equiv".. Some places have no paper application, requiring you to have internet access to apply - and then computer "personality tests" to be considered for interview. In my (admittedly limited) experience, many of these things are saying they are trying to discriminate in one way or another, but "now hiring smiling faces" is kind of the bat signal for the X in 10 people who don't fair well with drug tests and criminal background tests, etc. If you are aware of a similar moniker or whatever, I'd like to know. I've been trying to help people get jobs around town for years and have seriously been considering crowd sourcing a green friendly job board - there are lots of decent people out there that want to work but have been repeatedly beaten down by so many time wasters out there.
- chrisseaton 8y ago
  Sounds like a good idea, but I wouldn't market with this 'smiling faces' name as I have never seen nor heard of the concept and it took you five paragraphs to explain what it means :)

nostrebored 8y ago

As someone who grew up in a house of 4 that spent multiple years living off of a single unemployment check, you'd be surprised at how easily you can fall into a very low spending pattern when you have to. Slums in the US can be fine. If it's just surface level disrepair that's fine. The real issue is cultural, especially if you have kids. You haven't said which city you're in, but I think the number of cities in the US where it wouldn't be possible to live alone on $25,000 a year is actually quite low.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
rorykoehler 8y ago
Health insurance?
- mooreds 8y ago
  Medicaid is an option, especially if you have kids. Google found this, which seems useful: https://www.policygenius.com/blog/a-state-by-state-guide-to-medicaid/ https://www.policygenius.com/blog/a-state-by-state-guide-to-...
stevenicr 8y ago
I respect your experience growing up. I have had similar situations over the years including some growing up, and been close friends with many and watched how it can "work". Living for years by skipping oil changes, hair cuts, dental health, bald tires, all those things - not good for the family or the community really, but it can be done. Not sure how long ago it was for you and where, but I know that things are harder today money wise than they were when I was growing up, in several ways. Aside from gas being under $1 / gallon and food prices and such being different, there was not the need for broadband internet and some other modern day "staples" - without getting into a debate about the need for $200/mth cable not being a need, and other things, the divide has greater effects socially / in schools etc I believe. You did mention the issue is cultural and these things are part of that I guess. The city I describe is my experience in Nashville TN - before out last full term mayor, perhaps around the time you were growing up? - apartments near the airport area could be found around $600 /mth - they weren't the best, but they did not have gangs blocking the corners either. A decade of hastened gentrification and it's hard to find decent apartments for double the old price. Gas, food, and other things have gone up - yet for many going from $8 /hr to $12 an hour is not going to get you far around here these days. I think it's easier for me to think that guys would have an easier time living on $25k per year, and that many women would find the living conditions with that kind of money with today's prices around here to be tough to live with. The few cheap places to live around the city, and even the next county or two over, are likely to be less safe than one of the gated communities down the road from Miley's or Taylor's places. I've been expanding my searches to the middle of the state and looking at other states to find affordable places to suggest people consider looking. There are some trailers about 2 hours from here for about $400/mth - but the utilities will be high, especially this time of the year. Of course people living two hours away are not likely going to come to the city to fill these jobs at $12 /hr. So I guess those businesses who want to keep paying less than a living wage around here need to consider that the pool of people willing to work those jobs are people who can't get a better gig, so probably male, willing to live in sketchy places, likely can't pass a drug test or they would get a home depot gig or similar. With such a small pool to draw from, some kind of perks will need to be advertised, like comped transportation, no drug tests, etc. There are plenty of places around town that I walk out of or choose not to go to, knowing that the labor making the food, or cleaning, or watching kids, or all kinds of important things, is probably not the best choice for important things like food safety, etc. I also get that this can be a cultural thing, and different strokes for different folks and all that. I'd really love to see the monthly spending budgets of lots of the people around here that work for under $22, it just doesn't seem possible in most parts around here, and certainly not sustainable long term.

mruts 8y ago

Clearly the solution is just raise the minimum wage to $35/hr ala Elizabeth Warren

sovietmudkipz 8y ago
I know you say this statement in sarcasm but I'd like to explore this world. If minimum wage was $35/hr I bet quite a few things would happen. Entrenched, successful businesses would support the change. Their competition struggle to afford competing. Businesses will close down, further entrenching the competition. Jobs will disappear. Just like how the wage hike for New York car washers displaced workers though automation, many businesses will have an even higher economic incentive to replace workers with automation solutions. Some jobs just won't pull in enough to make it worth it. Why pay someone $74,000/yr to take orders at a restaurant when you can pay for a $50,000 and ~$20,000/yr in maintenance. Young workers will be out competed by older workers. If you're paying $35/hr, you want the best bang for your buck. Why take a risk on some 16 year old when you have retired 56 year olds who would be willing to pay for their medication working fast food. Or heck, why go into engineering when a basic job gets you above average pay? Where will the younger generation get a chance to develop the soft skillset that allows for future success in their careers? Naturally, I'm failing to consider the long term economic effects. For example; harder earned skillsets will be paid much more than low skillsets. If the supply chain is paying massively for a work force, then the price of goods & services will go up dramatically. It's harder to puzzle this sort of stuff out!
gruez 8y ago
>raise the minimum wage to $35/hr ala Elizabeth Warren https://www.google.com/search?q=Elizabeth+warren+35+minimum+wage https://www.google.com/search?q=Elizabeth+warren+35+minimum+... ???
JamesBarney 8y ago
Just in case anyone reads this and gets the wrong impression. Elizabeth Warren wasn't arguing for a $35/hr minimum wage, but just making a point that if the minimum wage had increased at the same rate as the earnings for the top 1% it would be at $33/hr. She was actually arguing for a $10/hr minimum wage.

murph-almighty 8y ago

>Another problem is so many jobs say they drug test, but there is (at least not that I have found yet) not a job listing site or category for "Smiling faces" aka 'we don't test for weed in your system as long as you toke at home and don't show up with red eyes / moving slow with a bag of chips in hand.' I'm kind of shocked this doesn't exist yet, but then again, I can understand why a company might not want to openly advertise that they don't drug test. In my (very) limited experience, employers will usually say they drug test but never really follow up on it. It usually took me a bit more effort to find out if I was going to get tested or not, and even then it's a bit of an awkward conversation to have because it implies there's a reason you want to dodge the test.

stevenicr 8y ago
Ive been racking my brain how to make this, perhaps crowd source info.. scrape listing for a while. Then make it premium to advertise premium spots. Mainly it would be good for society - saving people lots of time, and getting more people working, and more jobs filled. I've noticed some employers do tests on application, then don't again for years. I've witnessed people losing jobs when they ran afoul of office politics, then suddenly a test was 'randomly' given. I think some places around here use some kind of percentages thinking to say, 'if we drug test applicants, make them use an internet portal to apply, and give one of those personality quizzes before an interview' - we can be sure that 99% of our applicants will be white. I can't say for sure that is what is going on at some places around here, I don't have any inside info saying exactly that - but, when you have a place that needs help doing oil changes and they put up all those hoops to jump through, you have wonder what their target worker market is and why. Maybe they just don't want 'white trash' people under cars getting greasy. Anyhow, a "smile and work" portal would be beneficial to society imho. Maybe more so in busy cities.

grigjd3 8y ago

Your town doesn't have a bus?

stevenicr 8y ago
yes we have buses all over. Some cool maps and stuff for them too. But, the timing and such is limited. (also serious lack of sidewalks, bus stop covers and other issues) recently... girl lives near the airport, has job at X big box store, 12 minute drive from here. Bus routes from here take you down to 'antioch' then back into the city, where you need to junction with another bus to get back a few miles south of city. Depending on time of day, the scheduling puts it at 2 hours 20 minutes to get to work. When big box store needs you to be there at open, you need to leave for work at 3am... but no buses run at 3, so you have to leave at 11pm to get to work at 6am. Getting home via bus is easier though. admittedly the bus service does take care of certain 'economically challenged" areas better - if you live in Antioch you can jump on a bus to get downtown in much less time. If you needed to connect to go south again, it's still silly, but shaves about 30 minutes off (one hour fifty minutes). I long for the day of smart voltron like buses, guess I should post about it since our city just cant get transport right.