4 ms·

The most horrifying thing is that not only do minimum wage jobs in the US barely get you above poverty, but that many people struggle even to get one of these j

by nilkn 12y ago

The most horrifying thing is that not only do minimum wage jobs in the US barely get you above poverty, but that many people struggle even to get one of these jobs. I'm willing to wager that many readers here have never looked for a minimum wage job. If you haven't, you may not realize how much competition there can be. It's really shocking. This is especially true in smaller towns, where there are very few jobs that aren't minimum wage. I remember, years ago when I was in high school, my dad was a local business owner in a small town and was connected with all the other business owners. On several occasions, a friend or family member needed a minimum wage job and literally couldn't get one due to scarcity; my dad had to approach the owners of other businesses and put in direct recommendations so someone could get on at, say, a Dairy Queen or a car wash.

Retra 12y ago
I've looked for minimum wage jobs. Never worked one: I'm too "over qualified."
- kefka 12y ago
  The trick to that is make yourself "qualified", if you want to work one. Holes in employment, sketchy details, questionable descriptions. Or you could go the complete opposite route, and blatantly lie on your resume. As long as you actually know the skills, lie and say you have them. What's the worst they do to you? Fire you? Just don't do that with a professional degree. Pissing off gov't is a bad idea.
Xixi 12y ago
If the job market is really that, a market, then it should not come as a surprise. It's the imbalance between the number the people seeking a kind of job and the number of jobs available that drives the salaries all the way down to minimum wage. Hence the lowest paying of all jobs are the most fiercely fought for. Now of course there is another side to this equation: the remuneration is capped by the (perceived) value derived from the work done.
- nilkn 12y ago
  I'm not surprised that this could happen. I'm surprised that it has happened. The fact that anyone could have a great life with mostly any job in the US is what catapulted it to fame in the mid to late 1900s as the world's richest country. Now we're back to the point where minimum wage jobs are poverty level at best and significantly below poverty at worst. To really put this into perspective, I know families who have immigrated here from Mexico who actually regret it because they didn't realize how low the standard of living is for minimum wage jobs.
  - Xixi 12y ago
    Note that I was only pointing out that there is some logic to the lowest paying jobs seeing the most candidates. I certainly do not condone a system where workers do not have access to proper health-care and struggle to live decently. For that matter I think that even unemployed people should have access to health-care and live decently. I will refrain from commenting on how tragic the situation is in the United States for the simple reason that I don't live there. But your description of the situation doesn't make me want to move there except for a very cushy job. Here in Japan unemployment is quite low, and health-care is nationalized, so the situation may not be as dramatic as the one you describe. But contractors at low paying jobs certainly hold the shitty end of the stick: all my friends in this situation live with their parents, they simply cannot afford to live alone.
- crpatino 12y ago
  > Hence the lowest paying of all jobs are the most fiercely fought for. That does not sound like a healthy economy to me. Minimum wage is for employees with minimal skills. Almost always that should mean entry level positions. You don't want to run a business where the bulk of your workforce is barely qualified. You want a balance between the noobs, the competent young ones, and the old dogs who know all the ropes. So even if for a position that has an "imbalance between the number of job seekers and the available positions", I would expect the average employee to make somewhere between 2x and 4x the minimum wage. Otherwise, what you are telling me is that an average high school kid can do the job equally well as a person with 10+ years of experience.
grecy 12y ago
The balance of power between employers and employees in the United States is vastly different from anything else I've experienced. It's commonly said that people are lucky to even have a job, and their bosses know it. It's bordering on slavery, and I really, really don't like the feel of it. In Australia, the exact opposite is true - employers are lucky to have employees (who could, at any moment quit and do perfectly fine on welfare) and so employers know it and are extremely kind and thankful to their employees.
- ajuc 12y ago
  How this can be true with unemployement at 6%? And free food if you are poor?

by nilkn 12y ago

Retra 12y ago

I've looked for minimum wage jobs. Never worked one: I'm too "over qualified."

kefka 12y ago
The trick to that is make yourself "qualified", if you want to work one. Holes in employment, sketchy details, questionable descriptions. Or you could go the complete opposite route, and blatantly lie on your resume. As long as you actually know the skills, lie and say you have them. What's the worst they do to you? Fire you? Just don't do that with a professional degree. Pissing off gov't is a bad idea.

Xixi 12y ago

If the job market is really that, a market, then it should not come as a surprise. It's the imbalance between the number the people seeking a kind of job and the number of jobs available that drives the salaries all the way down to minimum wage. Hence the lowest paying of all jobs are the most fiercely fought for. Now of course there is another side to this equation: the remuneration is capped by the (perceived) value derived from the work done.

nilkn 12y ago
I'm not surprised that this could happen. I'm surprised that it has happened. The fact that anyone could have a great life with mostly any job in the US is what catapulted it to fame in the mid to late 1900s as the world's richest country. Now we're back to the point where minimum wage jobs are poverty level at best and significantly below poverty at worst. To really put this into perspective, I know families who have immigrated here from Mexico who actually regret it because they didn't realize how low the standard of living is for minimum wage jobs.
- Xixi 12y ago
  Note that I was only pointing out that there is some logic to the lowest paying jobs seeing the most candidates. I certainly do not condone a system where workers do not have access to proper health-care and struggle to live decently. For that matter I think that even unemployed people should have access to health-care and live decently. I will refrain from commenting on how tragic the situation is in the United States for the simple reason that I don't live there. But your description of the situation doesn't make me want to move there except for a very cushy job. Here in Japan unemployment is quite low, and health-care is nationalized, so the situation may not be as dramatic as the one you describe. But contractors at low paying jobs certainly hold the shitty end of the stick: all my friends in this situation live with their parents, they simply cannot afford to live alone.
crpatino 12y ago
> Hence the lowest paying of all jobs are the most fiercely fought for. That does not sound like a healthy economy to me. Minimum wage is for employees with minimal skills. Almost always that should mean entry level positions. You don't want to run a business where the bulk of your workforce is barely qualified. You want a balance between the noobs, the competent young ones, and the old dogs who know all the ropes. So even if for a position that has an "imbalance between the number of job seekers and the available positions", I would expect the average employee to make somewhere between 2x and 4x the minimum wage. Otherwise, what you are telling me is that an average high school kid can do the job equally well as a person with 10+ years of experience.

grecy 12y ago

The balance of power between employers and employees in the United States is vastly different from anything else I've experienced. It's commonly said that people are lucky to even have a job, and their bosses know it. It's bordering on slavery, and I really, really don't like the feel of it. In Australia, the exact opposite is true - employers are lucky to have employees (who could, at any moment quit and do perfectly fine on welfare) and so employers know it and are extremely kind and thankful to their employees.

ajuc 12y ago
How this can be true with unemployement at 6%? And free food if you are poor?