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WTF is REALLY going on with the job market?

Thank you. Yes, I for sure need to start something as it’s pretty clear to me that I’m not getting paid my worth. Heck, I’m at the office every day by 6am and yes a lot of weeks I’m pulling 70-80hrs easy. And I’m salary so anything over 40 is freebie work. And no, I’m not compensated well enough at my salary to be putting in those ours. The only issue is, good jobs, especially high paying ones in my field, are hard to come by. I’m pretty much maxed out for my area and sadly had to take a title reduction a few years ago. So in some ways I’ve gone backwards. I want to do my own thing but not exactly sure how or where I’m going to find the time needed to make it happen.
And if your soon to be ex employer tries to entice you to stay, politely decline their offer and move on. They had plenty of opportunities to do that previously, but chose not to. They were happy to be pocketing all that extra money and not sharing it with you.

I've even seen instances where employers entice an employee to stay by offering them more money. Two or three months down the road (after the other opportunity is gone), the existing employer renigs on the raise and returns the wages paid to the previous level. Pretty scummy.

Unless the employer is pretty unique/good, you don't owe them anything. But, if they were good, you'd be getting paid what you were worth/commensurate with what you were producing in the first place and we wouldn't be having this conversation.
 
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And if your soon to be ex employer tries to entice you to stay, politely decline their offer and move on. They had plenty of opportunities to do that previously, but chose not to. They were happy to be pocketing all that extra money and not sharing it with you.

I've even seen instances where employers entice an employee to stay by offering them more money. Two or three months down the road (after the other opportunity is gone), the existing employer renigs on the raise and returns the wages paid to the previous level. Pretty scummy.

Unless the employer is pretty unique/good, you don't owe them anything. But, if they were good, you'd be getting paid what you were worth/commensurate with what you were producing in the first place and we wouldn't be having this conversation.
I forgot to add that my efforts have brought them in over $6billion, with a B, of work over the last 6-8 months as well. And it’s review time but like you said...
 
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I forgot to add that my efforts have brought them in over $6billion, with a B, of work over the last 6-8 months as well. And it’s review time but like you said...
Dude, you need a change of scenery........;)

I retired two years ago. I was making all kinds of money for my employer. I was screwed out of my car allowance, annual raises and most importantly, screwed out of commissions when I excelled and everyone else had failed. I was given every bullshit excuse in the book as to why I wasn't going to be paid my commission(s).

I've done well over the years, but it is because my wife and I worked extra hard, socked money away and made sacrifices that most other people weren't/aren't willing to. We are financially independent, but none of that would have happened if we hadn't done it for ourselves. An employer certainly isn't going to do it for you. If they ever were, those days are long gone.

When I retired, I gave my employer the standard two week's notice. Of course, they wanted me to stay, so that I could train my replacement. I told them exactly what my complaints were and that I was willing to remain on board if they made it worth my while. I told them what I wanted (nowhere close to being unreasonable) and that I expected to hear back from them prior to the expiration of my two weeks notice. I heard nothing. Crickets. Fuck 'em. I pulled the pin.

Couldn't be happier.

edit; Oh, but keep in mind that in the corporate world, You (and I, and everyone else) are just a number. You (and I) can be replaced. It might be a little painful for them in the short term, but they'll manage. Don't ever fool yourself into believing that an employer that isn't taking care of you now is somehow going to magically start doing so in the future. It will not happen.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yup - I had 3 jobs in 2017. Just kept jumping until I got the money and job description I wanted. Then in 2020 they laid me off scared of the Shutdown and coming PPP money they got $3+ million and I got fucked. I got back on the pay role in late 2020 but gave up my seniority and title to be a "Installer Technician" instead of a Field Service Specialist.

January of 2022 I had enough - Rage quit and retired. The current "norms" of working simply are fucked up crazy. Don't believe anything an employer /HR Dept. Says and instead believe what they show you. Save/invest your money and take everything coming via 401K contributions. Pay off yer houses and cars and stack the extra in the bank if you have to work 3X jobs to get that done. I did.

And when they played me for stupid I Rage Quit and left 'em Flat.

Nice job. We all got fucked except my monthly income in retirement exceeds my monthly income when I was working so long as the SS keeps coming. Don't capitulate - sell yer skill and get the living you deserve or move along.

VooDoo
 
I forgot to add that my efforts have brought them in over $6billion, with a B, of work over the last 6-8 months as well. And it’s review time but like you said...

Leave. Now!


The best revenge is walking away from the hours, the stress, and dropping it all on their feet as you leave.

You can always paint while you look for a better job or start your own company. :ROFLMAO:
 
I have read every comment. I am in agreement with the flow of what is being given as examples.
Many of the job hopping success stories had to do with it being "all in the timing".
I did my fair share of job hopping for a higher scale and more hours.
I toughed out some crappy jobs with poor supervision when construction was slow. At the end, more than once, I was asked "You want to go with us to the next one"? My one word answer was a simple "No". I did not burn any bridges but there is nothing like a crappy job to motivate a man to head to a better one.
This recession is forcing many companies to down size. Those old guy's who are being let go will never return.
The best opportunities will be when the recovery starts. For now, improve your "worth" to the next company. A good time to do recon and note the companies that do well over the next 12 months. Things could turn on a dime. Stay ahead of the curve. Your best bargaining chip is to have something that company is in need of.
Everyone should own their own business and find out it is a 24 hour a day job... I did.
Best of luck on finding good job.
 
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Wishing everyone success in their career journeys and the pursuit of better opportunities!
Remember to ask for a salary of $80k and raises of 10% for the next 4 years.
Inflation, you know.

The average U.S. mortgage payment

It is difficult to calculate a precise average mortgage payment, as there is no single authoritative source that provides that information. However, data from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey shows that in 2021, the median U.S. mortgage payment was $1,672.

 
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Wishing everyone success in their career journeys and the pursuit of better opportunities!

Your insights on the job market and the importance of timing are spot on. It's true, toughing it out during challenging jobs can certainly motivate us to seek better opportunities.

Greetings fellow firearms enthusiasts!
 
A friend of mine just got laid off from a big auto dealer's corporate office. Her boss said they haven't seen it this slow since 2008. It's just a random data point but It makes me dread any upcoming collapse.

That being said, I sent her a couple entry level, $20+/hr job listings from Tesla within a couple hours not even looking that hard.
 
We are trying to hire 11 guys for $57 bucks an hour and got 18 applicants.......................................none qualified.
The problem of needing experience to get the job but needing the job to get the experience. I'm gathering based on the pay rate your opening is a pretty specific job in a specific field, but I find it interesting to see this problem re-stated ad nauseam across industries.

It wasn't that long ago that getting hired and trained by the company to do the work was the norm. Jobs that used to be entry-level are now experience required. Most companies now only want people who are already experienced but few will hire and train workers to have the skills they need.

As the baby boomer generation is rapidly approaching retirement, the skilled labor pool is also rapidly dwindling so in a few years it will be even more challenging to hire. Eventually, employers will have to get over themselves and start training new hires AND pay and treat them well to keep them around if they want to stay afloat.

Don't get me started on what college was supposed to accomplish vs what it stands for now. Also not hiring for being over-qualified.
 
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A friend of mine just got laid off from a big auto dealer's corporate office. Her boss said they haven't seen it this slow since 2008. It's just a random data point but It makes me dread any upcoming collapse.

That being said, I sent her a couple entry level, $20+/hr job listings from Tesla within a couple hours not even looking that hard.
I feel bad for the people in the auto industry that aren't executive or salespeople. They're the ones who are going to bear the brunt of suffering in the coming auto market fall even though they're not the ones that got greedy and set themselves up for failure.
 
I feel bad for the people in the auto industry that aren't executive or salespeople. They're the ones who are going to bear the brunt of suffering in the coming auto market fall even though they're not the ones that got greedy and set themselves up for failure.
So you don't think the sales people will be impacted, or you don't feel bad for them?
 
It wasn't that long ago that getting hired and trained by the company to do the work was the norm. Jobs that used to be entry-level are now experience required. Most companies now only want people who are already experienced but few will hire and train workers to have the skills they need.
Yeah, but these days.. most of the people you "hire to train" won't even show up the first or second day of work.
 
So you don't think the sales people will be impacted, or you don't feel bad for them?
I have mixed feelings. On top of inflated prices from the mfg, dealers have been posting ridiculous markups and other BS added charges over MSRP since covid started. I know it's not the person on the floor doing it, but I'm sure they haven't been trying super hard to get their management to come to their senses, either.

To be fair, car buyers aren't innocent in all of this, either. I'd wager the majority of car buyers the last 3 years could've kept driving what they already had and not paid the insane price they did. That's our materialistic societal mindset at work.

I bought a new to me truck in February after my 2009 Jeep with over 200k miles finally got to the point that it needed repairs that were significantly more expensive than it was worth. I also wanted a bigger backseat for the kid I didn't have when I bought that Jeep right out of college. The better capability for my uses and better MPG( ironic I know) were nice bonuses. I paid 31k for a 2019 ram classic with 54k miles. It made me sick to pay that much but unlike most car buyers, I actually did need to buy a new vehicle and I wasn't just buying because I wanted to.
 
Yeah, but these days.. most of the people you "hire to train" won't even show up the first or second day of work.
I used to be cop at a small agency. As the Sgt for my shift, myself and my LT did all of our own interviews and submitted the ones we wanted to the chief for final approval. Now I'm a building inspector. I did construction in HS and on-and-off through college.

I say all of that to establish that I understand hiring and retention difficulties. At the end of the day, it comes down to being able to read people at the interview to figure out who the shitbags are going to be before you waste money on them. That's a harder problem these days as shitbaggery is becoming the norm.
 
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I have mixed feelings. On top of inflated prices from the mfg, dealers have been posting ridiculous markups and other BS added charges over MSRP since covid started. I know it's not the person on the floor doing it, but I'm sure they haven't been trying super hard to get their management to come to their senses, either.

To be fair, car buyers aren't innocent in all of this, either. I'd wager the majority of car buyers the last 3 years could've kept driving what they already had and not paid the insane price they did. That's our materialistic societal mindset at work.

I bought a new to me truck in February after my 2009 Jeep with over 200k miles finally got to the point that it needed repairs that were significantly more expensive than it was worth. I also wanted a bigger backseat for the kid I didn't have when I bought that Jeep right out of college. The better capability for my uses and better MPG( ironic I know) were nice bonuses. I paid 31k for a 2019 ram classic with 54k miles. It made me sick to pay that much but unlike most car buyers, I actually did need to buy a new vehicle and I wasn't just buying because I wanted to.
i agree with the buyer sentiment. buyers need to be more realistic and have some common sense. the problem is everyone got used to 2yr leases.
 
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Throw in the UAW strike for 40% raise over 4 years and the car market is going to shit.
yup

I've zero sympathy for them and most unions any longer. long is the union that is actually there to protect their people
 
IMO most jobs nowadays are filled through referrals. I know someone that can... Or I have a friend that is looking...

I don't know how many stories I have seen of people applying and applying for jobs some people hundreds of jobs and they never even get a call by whatever hiring manager or HR person. Even then, the hiring practices are all over the place. My current position, the HR team had a recommend on not to hire me. But since I was recommended, they did hire me. Egg is in their face since I am one of the top performing techs since I have started.
 
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IMO most jobs nowadays are filled through referrals. I know someone that can... Or I have a friend that is looking...

I don't know how many stories I have seen of people applying and applying for jobs some people hundreds of jobs and they never even get a call by whatever hiring manager or HR person. Even then, the hiring practices are all over the place. My current position, the HR team had a recommend on not to hire me. But since I was recommended, they did hire me. Egg is in their face since I am one of the top performing techs since I have started.
Referral's will be evolving as the recession set's in. Reaching the point now, if a person has a "just OK" job, it would be wise to stay put, fly under the radar and ride this thing out. There are ton's of "father-in-law's" in supervision who will be hiring his worthless son-in-law strictly because he does not want to be putting food on the table for his daughter and grand children.
Recession brings on the cut throats and back stabbers, always.
 
Doing what exactly?

Working at a powerplant. Every dickhead with an electric car needs me more than his parents. I could work 7 days of overtime a month until the day I die, we are always that short-handed as are most powerplants. The skills come from the military or apprentice programs, skilled trades like electricians, welders, machinists and plumbers. Most powerplants are not located in cities and big hydroelectric is typically not located anywhere near civilization.

Most places hate training apprentices for the same three reasons.

1. It costs money to keep unproductive people on the books for three years and today's generation of new guys is less motivated than a box turtle no matter what you pay them.

2. Once you train them, at least half always run off to another company or project and fuck you over.

3. There is always a risk of training people you do not need and then having to lay them off. (not really but HR idiots think like this)

Most people with abilities in the skilled trades never look at their local utilities when they look for jobs. People will need electricity in recessions, depressions, wars and famines my job is lay-off proof.
 
Your insights on the job market and the importance of timing are spot on. It's true, toughing it out during challenging jobs can certainly motivate us to seek better opportunities.
Yeah, that's some first post after joining two years ago. Welcome to the Hide. You'll fit right in these days.
 
Most places hate training apprentices for the same three reasons.

1. It costs money to keep unproductive people on the books for three years and today's generation of new guys is less motivated than a box turtle no matter what you pay them.

2. Once you train them, at least half always run off to another company or project and fuck you over.

3. There is always a risk of training people you do not need and then having to lay them off. (not really but HR idiots think like this)

Most people with abilities in the skilled trades never look at their local utilities when they look for jobs. People will need electricity in recessions, depressions, wars and famines my job is lay-off proof.
For 20-30 years now, companies needing skilled tradesmen have relied on sniping talent from other companies instead of offering in-house apprenticeships. The easiest way to get a raise is to drag up every couple of years and go to another job because recruitment budgets are a lot bigger than retention budgets. Its not hard to see that a lot of companies were sitting on enough spare cash to comfortably retain current workers just by looking at how big signing bonuses were for new hires. Modern day HR won't spend 10 cents more to retain veteran employees, but will pay thousands more to attract new hires and train them.
 
For 20-30 years now, companies needing skilled tradesmen have relied on sniping talent from other companies instead of offering in-house apprenticeships. The easiest way to get a raise is to drag up every couple of years and go to another job because recruitment budgets are a lot bigger than retention budgets. Its not hard to see that a lot of companies were sitting on enough spare cash to comfortably retain current workers just by looking at how big signing bonuses were for new hires. Modern day HR won't spend 10 cents more to retain veteran employees, but will pay thousands more to attract new hires and train them.

Exactly why I'm looking to change jobs this winter once my shoulder is fully recovered from surgery. Company wants to talk record profits year after year, then give a dollar an hour raise. They decided against giving a second raise last fall after making a big deal about it. About 3 years seems to be the time to move on around here.

The fucked up part is they brought in a few young kids that are useless and started them out higher than a few of the decent guys we have that's been there 5 plus years.
 
Working at a powerplant. Every dickhead with an electric car needs me more than his parents. I could work 7 days of overtime a month until the day I die, we are always that short-handed as are most powerplants. The skills come from the military or apprentice programs, skilled trades like electricians, welders, machinists and plumbers. Most powerplants are not located in cities and big hydroelectric is typically not located anywhere near civilization.

Most places hate training apprentices for the same three reasons.

1. It costs money to keep unproductive people on the books for three years and today's generation of new guys is less motivated than a box turtle no matter what you pay them.

2. Once you train them, at least half always run off to another company or project and fuck you over.

3. There is always a risk of training people you do not need and then having to lay them off. (not really but HR idiots think like this)

Most people with abilities in the skilled trades never look at their local utilities when they look for jobs. People will need electricity in recessions, depressions, wars and famines my job is lay-off proof.

1. I'd argue that the younger generation coming up in the workforce is less motivated because they're aware that pay hasn't kept up with inflation for decades now. There's no motivation to do more than the bare minimum when they're functionally making half what their older relatives would've made if they were starting off in the same job when they were that age.

2. If anything, it's your company fucking them over and not the way you put it. Companies can't seem to grasp that they need to treat people decently and pay them well if they want to keep them. Gone are the days of staying at the same job your whole career. You have to move to a different company to get a real raise. Pensions are gone too for the most part, so there's no real motivation to stay if companies won't take care of their people.

3. Your HR has an interesting take considering you're providing a necessary commodity that will be needed always no matter the economic situation.
 
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1. I'd argue that the younger generation coming up in the workforce is less motivated because they're aware that pay hasn't kept up with inflation for decades now. There's no motivation to do more than the bare minimum when they're functionally making half what their older relatives would've made if they were starting off in the same job when they were that age.
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!

I applaud the younger millennials and Gen Z for telling employers to eat a dick.

The trend will continue until pay increases significantly across the entire workforce (all job fields), or a recession hits and makes people desperate to work any job (like the Great Recession).

Workers want better pay. Fed and corporations want the recession to put the wage slaves back in check since the current crop of illegal workers are literally the bums from their country and not coming here to work. You know it’s bad when the illegal Mexicans clown on them.

I’ll also say it’s not just pay, but work/life balance is important to younger workers as well. In many cases they will take less pay for a better work/life balance.
 
1. I'd argue that the younger generation coming up in the workforce is less motivated because they're aware that pay hasn't kept up with inflation for decades now. There's no motivation to do more than the bare minimum when they're functionally making half what their older relatives would've made if they were starting off in the same job when they were that age.

2. If anything, it's your company fucking them over and not the way you put it. Companies can't seem to grasp that they need to treat people decently and pay them well if they want to keep them. Gone are the days of staying at the same job your whole career. You have to move to a different company to get a real raise. Pensions are gone too for the most part, so there's no real motivation to stay if companies won't take care of their people.

3. Your HR has an interesting take considering you're providing a necessary commodity that will be needed always no matter the economic situation.
And I'll argue that most youth, and young adults, do not want to earn their keep. Let alone a future. These are the youth of the cities and suburbs. Rural America is different. It is what the establishment is undermining. We are in the twilight zone of the millennials. They have been taught to follow their phone, like a donkey and a carrot, with a hand extended. Others, more of the city type, have resorted to drug use and criminal activity. Yes, drugs have hit the suburbs too, and I even see it in rural communities. My point being, the only true family values are more rural bred these days.

I'll take a good ole farm boy, or girl, any day. They may learn a trade and eventually move on, but those skills won't be wasted.
 
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WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!

I applaud the younger millennials and Gen Z for telling employers to eat a dick.

The trend will continue until pay increases significantly across the entire workforce (all job fields), or a recession hits and makes people desperate to work any job (like the Great Recession).

Workers want better pay. Fed and corporations want the recession to put the wage slaves back in check since the current crop of illegal workers are literally the bums from their country and not coming here to work. You know it’s bad when the illegal Mexicans clown on them.

I’ll also say it’s not just pay, but work/life balance is important to younger workers as well. In many cases they will take less pay for a better work/life balance.
You bring up a good point also. There are a couple ways to view this.
 
And I'll argue that most youth, and young adults, do not want to earn their keep. Let alone a future. These are the youth of the cities and suburbs. Rural America is different. It is what the establishment is undermining. We are in the twilight zone of the millennials. They have been taught to follow their phone, like a donkey and a carrot, with a hand extended. Others, more of the city type, have resorted to drug use and criminal activity. Yes, drugs have hit the suburbs too, and I even see it in rural communities. My point being, the only true family values are more rural bred these days.

I'll take a good ole farm boy, or girl, any day. They may learn a trade and eventually move on, but those skills won't be wasted.
I would disagree to an extent.

Nobody wants to accept $12.75 an hour to do a job today that 50 years ago would have allowed you to purchase a house, car, go on vacation, and get a pension.

Even $25 an hour is small money for even remotely skilled work when I can get $14-$18 to flip burgers, stock shelves at a store, or clean shitters.

IMO pay is too low across the board, and companies expect too much from new or entry level workers.

Companies have spent decades shitting on the concept of workers having loyalty to a company and a vested interest in the company’s success. Now they want to boo-hoo that workers leave as soon as they get trained to get paid more elsewhere? Duh, Ray Charles saw that outcome coming.

There are many pieces to the puzzle, but all that matters is profit. As long as companies find it cheaper to maintain a high turnover rate of new hires, then nothing will change.
 
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!

I applaud the younger millennials and Gen Z for telling employers to eat a dick.

The trend will continue until pay increases significantly across the entire workforce (all job fields), or a recession hits and makes people desperate to work any job (like the Great Recession).

Workers want better pay. Fed and corporations want the recession to put the wage slaves back in check since the current crop of illegal workers are literally the bums from their country and not coming here to work. You know it’s bad when the illegal Mexicans clown on them.

I’ll also say it’s not just pay, but work/life balance is important to younger workers as well. In many cases they will take less pay for a better work/life balance.
what's the alternative? Suck the govt's johnson?

Stay at home playing video games?

pass.

M
 
what's the alternative? Suck the govt's johnson?

Stay at home playing video games?

pass.

M
No. Plenty of money to be made in this country outside of low paying corporate work.

You are seeing a move to entrepreneurship, 2 jobs making $15.00+ an hour for combined $30+ an hour, a boom in trades where workers are paid more online with their worth, and side hustles.

Tons of ways to make money in this country.

People are making money. I have no doubt about that, but are doing it outside of the big companies boo-hooing that they can’t get wage slaves anymore.
 
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No. Plenty of money to be made in this country outside of low paying corporate work.

You are seeing a move to entrepreneurship, 2 jobs making $15.00+ an hour for combined $30+ an hour, a boom in trades where workers are paid more online with their worth, and side hustles.

Tons of ways to make money in this country.

People are making money. I have no doubt about that, but are doing it outside of the big companies boo-hooing that they can’t get wage slaves anymore.
I've started a mobile bicycle repair business

Not making much yet, but there's another guy in town doing 4 @ $100/day appointments. If I can do that consistently, that's a lot of $$

M
 
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I've started a mobile bicycle repair business

Not making much yet, but there's another guy in town doing 4 @ $100/day appointments. If I can do that consistently, that's a lot of $$

M
I agree.

People who can do simple repairs on things are going to make good money for the foreseeable future.

Handymen make a killing doing things that the man of the household would normally do even just 15 years ago.

Not only is the ability vanishing, but the concept of value is disappearing too. Meaning, the younger generation doesn’t haggle as much.

Older millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers will fight tooth and nail for $0.10 off of something.

Working with the 25 and under crowd many just accept the quote as is. However, they absolutely do shop quotes around like a boss so it had better be reasonable.

Something else to look at is the 35-ish and under crowd are happy paying someone to do something they could do themselves just to have that time in their life. It’s interesting.
 
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1. I'd argue that the younger generation coming up in the workforce is less motivated because they're aware that pay hasn't kept up with inflation for decades now. There's no motivation to do more than the bare minimum when they're functionally making half what their older relatives would've made if they were starting off in the same job when they were that age.

I'd disagree with this assumption. Do you honestly think that 20-somethings are upset because wages that existed before they were born are not keeping up with inflation? These stupid fuckers buy 2 or 3, $9 dollar cups of coffee a day. They waste thousands playing internet games and tatting themselves up like Yakuza when as a group they couldn't whip their cat. Whining that pay was better in the 1990's when you were born in 2000 is simply a faggot cop-out.

2. If anything, it's your company fucking them over and not the way you put it. Companies can't seem to grasp that they need to treat people decently and pay them well if they want to keep them. Gone are the days of staying at the same job your whole career. You have to move to a different company to get a real raise. Pensions are gone too for the most part, so there's no real motivation to stay if companies won't take care of their people.

Define well paid? I mean God damn, this gig pays $119,356 a year as a base. When you add in overtime, holidays and shift differential you can crack $200K a year with modest effort. An hourly wage job, no college required and no tech company. Every other position pays more, some in the mid $70 dollar an hour range. No college required, it helps but not required. If you want a hug, go somewhere else and cry.

3. Your HR has an interesting take considering you're providing a necessary commodity that will be needed always no matter the economic situation.

The worst thing about HR is the "woke" bullshit. A "qualified" minority or sexual deviant is easily half as skilled as an actual talented person.

What I can tell you is that people under 30 do poorly at this type of work. Why? Because it is boring when shit is not exploding and when things go wrong you need to be on top of your game RIGHT FUCKING NOW. Most of them cannot shit without updating their Facebook and they expect high praise for not getting too much shit on the hands and face. They cry in meetings and stress makes most them useless. It takes them hours to spin up and become useful if at all.

The ideal new hire had a job with stress and has been talked to like an adult. They have had to follow rules and procedures or qualify on a pass/fail basis where race, gender and social status were meaningless. They have had to work independently with no one to carry them though the day or praise them for every little thing.

The latest generation is not staying out of the work force to compel employers to raise pay and create some sort of loser fucking equity where asshole burger flippers make as much as ER nurses. They are staying home because they are lazy, dope smoking, pieces of shit and their parents let them. They have been told they are smart and they are fucking idiots. They have gotten trophies for showing up and they sucked. Their teachers give them high grades to stop their incessant whining and crying and they have 56 Valedictorians in every class.

If you want every shit bird on earth making $30 an hour for washing cars, learn to enjoy $60 dollar car washes. Because raising wages needlessly and raising perks, requiring pensions and all the trappings of a good job for a shit job will make prices spiral upward. This is the world of the $16 dollar Big Mac.
 
For the most part, people just don't want to work. I've watched several companies throw money at help with minimal skills and still can't get people to even apply or show up after being hired. I understand there are a lot of jobs that don't pay worth a fuck for skilled labor, but where did all those people go? Mechanics for example, $18-40 an hour in my area, which isn't bad money if you're at $30 plus. The lower end of the scale is a joke when you have to buy all your tools so nobody is getting into the trade because you can work at fast food or a box store for similar money starting out with no expenses. The guys that already have tools and experience are disappearing, every shop has had help wanted ads for a few years now.
 
For the most part, people just don't want to work. I've watched several companies throw money at help with minimal skills and still can't get people to even apply or show up after being hired. I understand there are a lot of jobs that don't pay worth a fuck for skilled labor, but where did all those people go? Mechanics for example, $18-40 an hour in my area, which isn't bad money if you're at $30 plus. The lower end of the scale is a joke when you have to buy all your tools so nobody is getting into the trade because you can work at fast food or a box store for similar money starting out with no expenses. The guys that already have tools and experience are disappearing, every shop has had help wanted ads for a few years now.
Is that $18 an hour bottom wage for the janitor?

Never mind, I re-read your post. I was going to lol at expecting someone with the education and thousands of dollars worth of tools to work for $18 an hour at a demanding job like that.
 
Is that $18 an hour bottom wage for the janitor?

Never mind, I re-read your post. I was going to lol at expecting someone with the education and thousands of dollars worth of tools to work for $18 an hour at a demanding job like that.

I get that people have to start somewhere when they are new to the trade and have no experience, but you aren't going to find someone nowadays when flipping burgers is the same pay.
 
I get that people have to start somewhere when they are new to the trade and have no experience, but you aren't going to find someone nowadays when flipping burgers is the same pay.
Correct.

Not only that, but what is the pathway to wage increases?
 
I'd disagree with this assumption. Do you honestly think that 20-somethings are upset because wages that existed before they were born are not keeping up with inflation? These stupid fuckers buy 2 or 3, $9 dollar cups of coffee a day. They waste thousands playing internet games and tatting themselves up like Yakuza when as a group they couldn't whip their cat. Whining that pay was better in the 1990's when you were born in 2000 is simply a faggot cop-out.



Define well paid? I mean God damn, this gig pays $119,356 a year as a base. When you add in overtime, holidays and shift differential you can crack $200K a year with modest effort. An hourly wage job, no college required and no tech company. Every other position pays more, some in the mid $70 dollar an hour range. No college required, it helps but not required. If you want a hug, go somewhere else and cry.
Yes, in fact, I do know they're upset about wages not keeping up with inflation while corporate profits and executive salaries have grown rapidly, and in fact have been outpacing inflation since the 1970s. Spend 30 minutes on any social media platform and you'll see millenials and gen z talking about it and backing it up with real data and not made up numbers they pulled out of their ass. Do I think they spend too much on $5-$6 coffee, video games, tattoos and other frivolities? Also yes. In their mind they're never going to be able to afford the 50s era American dream so they might as well enjoy the little things. Hell, what I make now would've been comfortable in 2019. Now, groceries cost twice as much, all of my utilities have increased significantly, the price of everything else has risen to the point that I have to carefully manage my money...and I'm above the median income for my area with 1 kid, a wife who makes twice what I do, and a mortgage that's less than our first apartment when we got married in 2019. My pay has gone up $5 an hour since then. Adjust it for inflation, and my base pay has actually decreased since 2019.

You stated that people jump ship to other companies. What are those other companies paying them in comparison? I'm talking base pay. The fact that you followed it up with overtime shows a key problem in the blue collar workforce: we've all been conditioned to think it's ok to be at work all the time to afford to live. As skilled workers, we should be able to pay to support ourselves and be able to enjoy life on a 40 hr work week.

As to food service and other non-skilled jobs and their growing salaries: minimum wage is supposed to be the bare minimum needed to support yourself i.e pay rent, utilities, groceries, transportation. Go look at the rent prices for 1 bedroom apartments and tell me how that's possible anywhere in the country.

You can raise wages without adding to inflation. However, the roadblock for that to happen is corporate greed. If there's one thing covid made glaringly obvious, it's that CEOs and corporations will happily skyrocket prices to increase their profits but will act like it's the end of the world to give up some of that profit to pay their employees more.

Don't get me wrong, there's definitely more lazy shitheads in recent years compared to previous generations...but I blame that on the baby boomers. They're the ones that started the "everyone's special" prolonged adolescence approach to raising kids (that I didn't get. I got an abusive mom that stole my college money). That and selling the college lie until they got into positions of power in their respective career fields and made that lie a reality to the point that college degrees are required for entry-level jobs.
 
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