The labor shortage myth exposed.

If you've been paying attention to the news lately you have probably been hearing a lot of talk about a "labor shortage" and how companies just can't seem to find workers blah blah blah. I was out of work for about 4 months after i had to leave my last job and finally managed to find a temp job to keep me going until i find something permanent. But i got an interesting email the other day from indeed, indeed is a job board for those that don't know. Anyway, it had a list of a few jobs i had applied to but didn't hear anything back from, but the interesting thing i found is it also listed the number of applicants that also applied for those same jobs. What i found shocked me a bit. over a thousand people had apparently applied for some of these positions listed.

To me that kinda shoots a hole through the hole "labor shortage" myth. seems like there are plenty of people out there applying for jobs and companies just aren't hiring them.

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a reply to: ncsky

I dont know if using indeed as a data sample is good. I think a lot of people apply for jobs on indeed just to do it becasue it is easy and simple. Some could apply for that job with little to real intention of taking it if they got offered that job.

But questions to ask are, have the people who got vaccine mandated out of their jobs been able to find work? Are those people still in their same career field? Have one of the parents from a two parent household gone back to work since pandemic?

Mike Rowe has been discussing this a lot. The jobs are there, but the people applying aren't accepting them. They want to be picky about their employment. A lot of them prefer to be unemployed because of how much unemployment they're getting.

a reply to: American-philosopher

I think it's a pretty good data source myself. I don't see why anyone would bother applying to jobs if they didn't want them. it shows thousands of people are applying to each job. the media says no one wants to work but from people i've talked to and the data i have says different. i think unemployment is actually increasing and they are sweeping the numbers under the rug as always with their fake/joke labor stats numbers. the reason why though does interest me. are they doing it so people don't panic? bad labor news makes stocks go down etc.

a reply to: [post=26831164]ncsky[/post
]
I had gotten really ill beginning of 2019. I was in and out of the hospitals, and in the field I was in I was losing work left and right. But I would jump on indeed, fill out a few quick applies, and biggity bam, I would get call backs and replace jobs with no sweat. I had my first surgery late 2019, but was able to land a really good job right after that first surgery thru indeed. I required a second surgery and was out of work once covid hit. It took longer bc of covid mandates to get the second surgery, but I got the surgery, and around September 2020 I was back on my feet and looking for work, once again, but this time very hopeful that I'd be able to get back on my feet again. I got on indeed. Filled out apps for months hearing nothing back. I've tried and tried thru indeed to land a job, and have used it for years with ease, but since covid I can't get a single call back. And I have seen the numbers of applications skyrocket on there (indeed as well as other job sites). I've even noticed temp agencies are flooded to the point that you're in the back of a very long line. So, it has been a day and night difference pre-covid and post-covid job hunts.
Back when I was coming out of that second surgery I was reading articles all day long about how no one wanted to work. Labor shortage all throughout the media, so I thought it would be simple since I wanted to work, but was slapped in the face with the reality that it was exponentially harder trying to find work, and especially using sites like indeed. IMO those sites are worthless now, for some reason or another.

a reply to: Creep Thumper

I would be careful trusting anything celebrities say, no matter how on your side they appear to be.

unemployment only last a few months at best. what are people not working doing? living on EBT? ok.. that's like a few hundred bucks a month tops and you can only spend it on food...

something doesn't add up here.

Truth is, companies don’t want to pay a person what they are worth covid made both industries greedy and unemployment attractive. I haven’t been in search of work for a long time but when I was folks offering jobs didn’t seemed geared towards or interested in long term employees for like idk working towards retirement and stuff.

a reply to: Brotherman

This is true. and i agree, but i suppose some people have enough passive income they can afford to be picky and not work as a form of protest. but i would argue the number of people in that position are few. most people have to work to survive. i am a landlord myself. of just one house. but i still have to also work to make ends meet. sure the passive income helps and it's a nice bonus. but i can't survive on that alone. and those without any passive income i doubt they are all living with parents. maybe some are but not all.

a reply to: ncsky

Could it be that employers are holding off on new employment, as a preparation for a period of massive, world-wide recession?

But no one is "talking about it" seriously out of the fear that they might cause a self-fulfilling prophecy?

And it would not require any major "conspiracy" among employers, either.


Just a few major "players" in each of a few important industries, with access to institutionsl-level economic resources (the kind governments and international financial firms utilize), to "steer" the economy in a certain direction, carrying all the other player along in the wake, would be all that is required to produce the situation we are seeing.

a reply to: ncsky

Like Creep Thumper said alot of people want unemployment so in order to get unemployment in some jurisdictions you have to actively show you are looking for work. if you can show hey i applied for this indeed job. you get unemployment

a reply to: ncsky

The labor shortages I see are in the health care socail service fields. where its hard to find people and then for the people that got mandated out. I mean a year ago we knew the reason for the labor shortage. There was also that report that came out maybe six months to a year ago that said that people are trying to start their own bussinesses.

I think it's a pretty good data source myself. I don't see why anyone would bother applying to jobs if they didn't want them.

a reply to: ncsky

Unemployment requires you to apply for so many jobs a week to keep getting benefits. LinkedIn lets them do this from their couch on their free government phone. If anyone actually got a job throgh them, they were likely taking bets on how many would show up.

unemployment only last a few months at best. what are people not working doing? living on EBT?

Unemployment is 6 months or more in 48 states, Is a regular check worth actual cash. EBT is an entirely different program that even some working families qualify for.

a reply to: Jason79

unemployment still only lasts a few months though. they can only play that game for so long and i've been noticing this trend for the past 2 years.

a reply to: ncsky

I just edited the post above yours with more detail while you were posting.

originally posted by: ncsky
a reply to: American-philosopher

I think it's a pretty good data source myself. I don't see why anyone would bother applying to jobs if they didn't want them. it shows thousands of people are applying to each job. the media says no one wants to work but from people i've talked to and the data i have says different. i think unemployment is actually increasing and they are sweeping the numbers under the rug as always with their fake/joke labor stats numbers. the reason why though does interest me. are they doing it so people don't panic? bad labor news makes stocks go down etc.

To get unemployment you have to prove you've been applying for jobs. So people are applying, but not taking interviews or job offers.

originally posted by: ncsky
a reply to: Creep Thumper

I would be careful trusting anything celebrities say, no matter how on your side they appear to be.

unemployment only last a few months at best. what are people not working doing? living on EBT? ok.. that's like a few hundred bucks a month tops and you can only spend it on food...

something doesn't add up here.

Do you know who Mike Rowe is? He isn't a celebrity in the sense you're thinking. He's a hard-working man who supports hard-working people. He knows what he's talking about.

Unemployment benefits in most states is a maximum of 26 weeks. Extended benefits ran out in 2021 from the federal gov and it was kicked back to the states to allocate money for extensions-or not.

People living on unemployment isn't the answer for the diminished workforce. Covid cut the red tape for expanded Welfare benefits, which a large portion of people opted for. You can make a comfortable living with HUD housing, EBT cards, free job training and child care, especially if you have a side gig.

There's talk of expanding the benefits even further in 2023. I bet vaccination requirements will play into it at some point.

This thread reminds of this

originally posted by: ncsky
If you've been paying attention to the news lately you have probably been hearing a lot of talk about a "labor shortage" and how companies just can't seem to find workers blah blah blah. I was out of work for about 4 months after i had to leave my last job and finally managed to find a temp job to keep me going until i find something permanent. But i got an interesting email the other day from indeed, indeed is a job board for those that don't know. Anyway, it had a list of a few jobs i had applied to but didn't hear anything back from, but the interesting thing i found is it also listed the number of applicants that also applied for those same jobs. What i found shocked me a bit. over a thousand people had apparently applied for some of these positions listed.

To me that kinda shoots a hole through the hole "labor shortage" myth. seems like there are plenty of people out there applying for jobs and companies just aren't hiring them.

i.postimg.cc...

Im in Texas and I could repeat dozens and dozens of stories (including my own kid's story) about people applying for jobs and getting absolutely NO response. No call back. No email saying thanks but job filled or whatever. Nothing.
Companies claim to be hiring, but they truly are not. Neighbor kid applied at every fast food restaurant - he is a honor roll student and wants to work to buy a car. NOT ONE CALL BACK. But all the places had signs up saying they were hiring.
I am seeing posts by adults every single day.

THEN you go to these establishments and they are short staffed.

a reply to: shaemac

Neighbor kid applied at every fast food restaurant - he is a honor roll student and wants to work to buy a car.

Around here, west central Arkansas, most of the fast food places (and at least one manufacture) have open interview hours. No appointment required. There is a gas station chain that will always hand out applications to anyone who asks, except when they are really hiring, then they give you a card with a web address.

Anyways my point is, If your serious don't ask for an application. Ask what is the procedure for getting a job here. If you ask during rush they will likely hand you a worthless application and shout "next"