What if there were more jobs than willing workers?

[Mrs. Danger]

This is true. Some of them are unemployable.

I guess I should amend my statement to include something like, "they can't find a job for the same reason they can't find their pants."

[Josh-da-man]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Danger

Personally, I don't believe people who tell me they can't find work. What they mean is, they can't find work they want to do.

I don't know about that.

I'm surprised at the number of menial jobs that require specific levels of experience and training.

About five years ago, there was a gas station I gassed my car up at that had a hand-written sign in the window that said "CASHIER WANTED - EXPERIENCED PEOPLE ONLY NEED APPLY." Which sort of fascinated me, because it's basically a shit minimum wage job, and they wanted job experience. (And, of course "experienced" was misspelled on the sign.)

And now, one of the local television stations does this thing where they run though a few places that are hiring. A typical job offering will be something like a temp position for a painter. $8.00 an hour. Must have five years of experience painting.

There are a surprising number of minimum wage (or barely above) jobs that I'm not qualified to do.

[Giantrobo]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Danger

This is true. Some of them are unemployable.

I guess I should amend my statement to include something like, "they can't find a job for the same reason they can't find their pants."

Nice.

[WallyOPD]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Danger

You can make good money schlepping stuff around a warehouse while you look for that uppity white collar job you want.

Can't do lifting? Sign up at a temp service and do office work. You will at least have an income.

I'm not saying you have to take the first job you come to, I'm just saying, if the work you want most is not available, widen your view, and you WILL find work.

I have many laid-off friends that are signed up with temp agencies and there's not a lot of work going around there either.

[Giantrobo]

Originally Posted by WallyOPD

I have many laid-off friends that are signed up with temp agencies and there's not a lot of work going around there either.

Did you hide their pants?

[ChiTownAbs, Inc]

Originally Posted by WallyOPD

I have many laid-off friends that are signed up with temp agencies and there's not a lot of work going around there either.

Why don't you tell your lazy-ass friends to find a job schlepping stuff around a warehouse??

[PrincessT]

So is there anything to the notion that if you used to do job X for $60,000 and become unemployed so you take job Y for $30,000 just to put food on the table while you wait for a better offer, no employer will want to pay you $60,000 again immediately following the leaving of job Y?

[PopcornTreeCt]

Originally Posted by PrincessT

So is there anything to the notion that if you used to do job X for $60,000 and become unemployed so you take job Y for $30,000 just to put food on the table while you wait for a better offer, no employer will want to pay you $60,000 again immediately following the leaving of job Y?

Does that actually matter to people that aren't movie stars or athletes? I thought that didn't mean a whole lot to white and blue collar people?

[aktick]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Danger

Personally, I don't believe people who tell me they can't find work. What they mean is, they can't find work they want to do.

I agree with this for the most part...especially for so many recent college grads I know and hear about who "just can't find a job." Of course most of these are people who had their parents pay for their college and have never really had to work in their life, and all of a sudden they're 22 or 23 and can't go to school any more and aren't getting handouts from mom and dad...they figure they have an econ or biology degree, they have to find a job in only that field. It would be below them to work someplace for minimum wage until they can find something they really want!

[The Bus]

Originally Posted by hitmanjules

What if the situation was reversed? That there were more jobs than willing workers?

What do you think causes illegal immigration?

[Groucho]

Originally Posted by The Bus

What do you think causes illegal immigration?

According to Lou Dobbs, that's an organized invasion by the Mexican government. It has nothing to do with jobs!

[Vibiana]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Danger

Unemployment is not a job. It's a handout, meant to tide you over until your next job. If you take a job in the meantime, that does not pay as much as your previous job, YOU CAN STILL GET SUPPLEMENTAL UNEMPLOYMENT.

My experience with the caprice of government assistance persuaded me that I don't want to deal with it again. I know other people who feel the same way, and would rather eat out of dumpsters than set foot in the welfare office.

*holding my Bic lighter aloft*

I have never collected unemployment in my life. Being a clerical drudge has its benefits: I can always find work as a temp, and if I have to take a pay cut to do it, I'm going to. The idea of rejecting a job that could theoretically open a door to me in a company just because it's only a "temp" job and makes less than I had been making is ridiculous. I've been recruited for permanent work from temp work a number of times over the last 26 years of my career. You never know where the next opportunity might lie.