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>As government transfer payments to low-income households exploded, their labor-force participation collapsed and the percentage of income in the bottom quintil
by cwhiz 6y ago
>As government transfer payments to low-income households exploded, their labor-force participation collapsed and the percentage of income in the bottom quintile coming from government payments rose above 90%.
Ding ding ding. Look at the sea of “help wanted” signs. But why would you go do actual work when you can ride fat unemployment checks and other benefits for 15 months?
- refurb 6y agoWell considering Government transfers like EITC arent included in many analyses of poverty or income inequality, this is a very different analysis than others. Seems reasonable? Compare what people end up with after al is said and done versus what their job pays them before taxes?
- eckmLJE 6y agoEspecially when the minimum wage is so low and going in to work to serve people refusing to wear masks could kill you or curse you with a constellation of life-ruining symptoms for the remainder of your life.
- cwhiz 6y agoEventually these pandemic unemployment checks are going to end, and reality will set in.
- neilwilson 6y agoHow about competing for the labour by offering better wages and conditions? Competition is good isn’t it? All you have to do to hire people is offer a decent deal. It’s not as if unemployment insurance is going to compete back.
- sokoloff 6y agoWhen you’re competing against another business, you’re on relatively even footing. When you’re competing against a government dropping taxpayer money out of metaphorical helicopters, it’s not exactly an even competition.
- neilwilson 6y ago"When you’re competing against a government dropping taxpayer money out of metaphorical helicopters, it’s not exactly an even competition." You have to pay a living wage. That's all you have to do. The other side won't bid higher. And given a person has to work to live, whereas a business only has to hire if they see a profit, it fixes the imbalance in power between the two contracting parties. Each party can say 'no deal' and make it stick. Currently there are 19 bones and 20 dogs. A guaranteed alternative income makes it 20 - 20 - and that's fair.
- cwhiz 6y agoCompeting? On one hand we have businesses trying to pay people to do work. On the other we have the government paying people to do nothing. Wow gee I guess businesses just need to up their game.
- neilwilson 6y agoWe can always have government pay them to do something instead. There is, after all, plenty to do. And if you hire the people government spending will go down automatically, so the level of government spending is in your hands. Where's the problem? It shouldn't be an issue if you're not trying to low ball wages and instead cheerfully pay enough for people to live on.
- cwhiz 6y agoI agree. Unemployment should come with some labor requirements. There is no shortage of infrastructure projects.