Counting Help Wanted Signs On Jolly Road In Lansing And We Saw A Lot
I stopped at Speedway Thursday afternoon. And there it was staring me in the face. I don't know how long it had been there of if they had just put it up a day or so ago.
NOW HIRING.
And not calling them desperate but the folks at the gas station were pretty seriously seeking employees.
They asked up there.
Over there.
Even as you were leaving the station.
It's been a trend as we start to round the corner on this pandemic thing. Now we're not done with it by a longshot. I was curious. I know there have been businesses opening back up and restrictions lifted. But some places haven't been able to get back to full operations because of staffing issues.
Jobs are available. Folks aren't working?
So I decided to count some signs just to see something.
We've got 3 at Speedway.
Let's look across the street.
Yup QD needs help too. That's four.
Back across the street to Mickey D's.
That makes 5 and I'm thinking we haven't even really gone half a mile. What about the apartments across the street from the restaurant?
6 signs.
Let's cruise down to Jolly and Aurelius.
At Dean Transportation.
And back down to the intersection over at Tecomet.
Within about a half mile to a mile stretch if that, we found 6 places that are in desperate need of employees.
Why aren't people headed back to work? Are these jobs beneath them? No one wants to work them? Is it wages? Is it companies showed employees the door during the pandemic to cut costs and stay afloat? Now that things are getting back to normal, they are begging the very people they threw out on their ears to come back?
A lot of pundits are pointing the finger at unemployment benefits and folks being lazy.
Many conservatives blame government unemployment assistance, while many liberals blame inadequate wages and working conditions. (The Hill)
But here are some facts.
In many cases, unemployment benefits pay greater than prevailing wages in low-wage industries. The National Bureau of Economic Research found that a 10 percent increase in unemployment benefits caused a 3.6 percent decline in applications. This information doesn't make the recipients good or bad people; it is just reality. (The Hill)
And some people have rethought their jobs altogether and got into another line of work.
Another survey conducted this March by Morning Consult on behalf of Prudential found that one in five workers changed their line of work entirely over the past year, and a quarter of workers planned to look for a job with a new employer once the threat of the pandemic had subsided. (PBS)
Peep the article below for a good read and a better grasp on why people aren't necessarily running back to the work force.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs In MI
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