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If this is anything like the “trucker shortage” in the USA, it’s not just because of the demand, but also because the jobs suck and are underpaid relative to th

If this is anything like the “trucker shortage” in the USA, it’s not just because of the demand, but also because the jobs suck and are underpaid relative to the amount of skill/commitment required to be good at it. And yet, executives always complain only of the demand? Are they unable to see the truth or are they simply unwilling?

amelius 5y ago
It probably goes like: 1. repeat in media that there is a shortage of X 2. people conclude that it is a good idea to get an education/training in X 3. there are more people are in X, meaning that wages can drop 4. profit
eloisius 5y ago
Exactly. It’s like after the dot com boom no one can be content to get normal rich. Everyone wants to get “exponential” rich with software leverage. I know several people that serve as interpreters (Chinese/English) and the amount of work and dedication it takes makes me feel ashamed when I think of how comparatively easy it was for me to learn how to code and how much of a disparity between our pay there is. I think I’m pretty libertarian-minded, but the business mindset of the modern world is so shitty. Some things can’t be automated with acceptable quality, but it seems like our MBA overlords just can’t countenance paying a human being to do skilled work unless it’s something flashy like React.
- sacrosancty 5y ago
  You seem to be suffering from the fallacy that hard work deserves high pay regardless of the usefulness of that work or the available labor supply. It's a very good thing that we pay people according to market rates in the long term because it continually optimizes production of good things that we all benefit from. I'm sure making gravel with a hammer is even harder work, and it's a good thing that we don't pay people to do that. In the short term it can screw over individuals who find themselves in the wrong type of work, but there are easy ways to protect against that too, for those that are worried enough.
  - eloisius 5y ago
    No, I’m not. Within the context of this article I’m lamenting the fact that even in the face of demand so great that it mops up the supply and causes a shortage, businesses still wont pay enough to stimulate sufficient supply.
- soco 5y ago
  And let's not forget how much crappy software we have around us because said overlords decided how much investment in quality is good enough and started to fail fast.
nmz 5y ago
Not only are they unwilling but they've also become basically scammers. https://www.npr.org/2020/08/10/901110994/big-rigged https://www.npr.org/2020/08/10/901110994/big-rigged
- hackernewds 5y ago
  TL;DL? tough to scan an audio 24m long
  - blamazon 5y ago
    I dunno why NPR makes it hard to find these, but here's a transcript: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/901110994 https://www.npr.org/transcripts/901110994
WJW 5y ago
Executives are in the business of buying labor for money and as any purchaser they would prefer to get the best deal possible. Why wouldn't they try to get potential sellers to sell their labor to them for less than it's worth? Best case they get valuable labor for less than market price, worst case someone rejects their offer and may be mildly offended for a while. If they find no takers, they'll slowly raise offers until they find someone. Of course this stops working when there is a genuine shortage of labor, or when a company gets a sufficiently bad reputation that nobody wants to work for them anymore. Both of those cases are not a problem for 99% of companies though.

amelius 5y ago

It probably goes like: 1. repeat in media that there is a shortage of X 2. people conclude that it is a good idea to get an education/training in X 3. there are more people are in X, meaning that wages can drop 4. profit

eloisius 5y ago

Exactly. It’s like after the dot com boom no one can be content to get normal rich. Everyone wants to get “exponential” rich with software leverage. I know several people that serve as interpreters (Chinese/English) and the amount of work and dedication it takes makes me feel ashamed when I think of how comparatively easy it was for me to learn how to code and how much of a disparity between our pay there is. I think I’m pretty libertarian-minded, but the business mindset of the modern world is so shitty. Some things can’t be automated with acceptable quality, but it seems like our MBA overlords just can’t countenance paying a human being to do skilled work unless it’s something flashy like React.

sacrosancty 5y ago
You seem to be suffering from the fallacy that hard work deserves high pay regardless of the usefulness of that work or the available labor supply. It's a very good thing that we pay people according to market rates in the long term because it continually optimizes production of good things that we all benefit from. I'm sure making gravel with a hammer is even harder work, and it's a good thing that we don't pay people to do that. In the short term it can screw over individuals who find themselves in the wrong type of work, but there are easy ways to protect against that too, for those that are worried enough.
- eloisius 5y ago
  No, I’m not. Within the context of this article I’m lamenting the fact that even in the face of demand so great that it mops up the supply and causes a shortage, businesses still wont pay enough to stimulate sufficient supply.
soco 5y ago
And let's not forget how much crappy software we have around us because said overlords decided how much investment in quality is good enough and started to fail fast.

nmz 5y ago

Not only are they unwilling but they've also become basically scammers. https://www.npr.org/2020/08/10/901110994/big-rigged https://www.npr.org/2020/08/10/901110994/big-rigged

hackernewds 5y ago
TL;DL? tough to scan an audio 24m long
- blamazon 5y ago
  I dunno why NPR makes it hard to find these, but here's a transcript: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/901110994 https://www.npr.org/transcripts/901110994

WJW 5y ago

Executives are in the business of buying labor for money and as any purchaser they would prefer to get the best deal possible. Why wouldn't they try to get potential sellers to sell their labor to them for less than it's worth? Best case they get valuable labor for less than market price, worst case someone rejects their offer and may be mildly offended for a while. If they find no takers, they'll slowly raise offers until they find someone. Of course this stops working when there is a genuine shortage of labor, or when a company gets a sufficiently bad reputation that nobody wants to work for them anymore. Both of those cases are not a problem for 99% of companies though.