Economy A Record Number of Americans Quit Jobs

[Jack V Savage]

Really?

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/quality-of-life-rankings

incoming response of how multicultural Canada, Finland, Denmark and New Zealand are.

Really, yes. Canada has one of the highest immigration rates in the world. Sweden is 10th. Etc. You can look it up. New Zealand's percentage is even higher than Sweden's. Really poor argument against the point that increasing immigration is one of the few things gov'ts can do to noticeably increase living standards (if you look more directly at the economic impact, the point is even clearer).

Can't believe you'd post that without even bothering to look at the numbers.

 

[TheJewBear]

Figured I'd put this out there as a federal employee I know at least in my local office we have around a dozen or so (at least) employees getting ready to be fired or quit over the vaccine mandate. These are highly-skilled, highly-trained aviation professionals making $150k-170k per year. It's not just cashiers and janitors quitting right now.

 

[TheJewBear]

It is being reported. You are just not listening. Despite the fact that people are quitting their jobs in record numbers, unemployment is going down.

I will give you a perfect example.



These are the 2 largest and best gas station/convenient stores in my area. Historically, if you went into a location, you would find the quality of Gate employees measurably better than that of other gas station/convenient stores. They paid their people a little more, and treated them a little better, than the Race-Trac's, BP's, Shell's, and 7-11's in the area.

Then Buc-ee's came in. You can see this sign at pretty much every one of their locations.



They opened a location less than half a mile away from the Gate by my house. Within 3 months, nearly all of the best Gate employees had moved over to Buc-ee's. One of them is a retired cop who lives 3 doors down from me who had worked at Gate for 4 years. $1.75 an hour and an extra weeks vacation a year is what he left for. He showed loyalty and gave Gate the chance to match it before he left. They didn't.

Now- I am not a huge fan of Buc-ee's. A bit too kitchy for me and I just find their places a little confusing. It's like they can't make up their mind whether they are a gas station, Home Depot, Gander Mountain, or Cracker Barrel store. They have decent BBQ and jerky though. But make no mistake- they are fucking printing money. And they have no problem paying their people more, and treating them better in the process.

In my part of the world (Southwest USA) we have a similar gas station called Quicktrip. These are the cleanest, best-stocked and nicest gas stations I've ever been to. Employees are HIGHLY competent. They often work two cash registers simultaneously, something I've never seen before and they seem HAPPY.

Weird thing is that they don't pay their workers much more than any other place. Their own website lists starting pay at $11/hr.

 

[Fox by the Sea]

isn't this the future though?
short stints of work, very mobile, frequent changes interlinked by periods of unemployment where you just get state support, and then work again, etc?
i know it kinda sounds like shit, but most of the people under 30 that i know don't have a career or seem to want one to follow until retirement.

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

Good. It feels like workers have leverage for the first time in decades.

They only have leverage because the Government has been paying them nicely to stay home.

If they get better jobs, everything will just even out due to inflation. It's been the crux of the minimum wage argument this whole time. Force employers to pay employees more and they just jack up the prices. Once the prices are jacked up everywhere, the people at the low paying jobs will still be at the low paying jobs, except now they'll be paying more for all their goods and services....which puts them back exactly where they were in the first place. The only people that get hurt are the middle and upper middle class.

 

[12ga.]

Working class are waking up finally after 40 years of neoliberalism. It won't do underwading gig economy work anymore. Someday they will unite like their forefathers did in early 20th century and unionize and demand living wages with benefits. Interesting times to be alive.

I saw united hope in the BLM protests it wasn't about George Floyd just so you know. Floyd was just a trigger to get them on the street. Anyways as time goes on those will only grow. Whatever you want to call it occupy BLM whatever the natives are getting restless

 

[cooks1]

In my part of the world (Southwest USA) we have a similar gas station called Quicktrip. These are the cleanest, best-stocked and nicest gas stations I've ever been to. Employees are HIGHLY competent. They often work two cash registers simultaneously, something I've never seen before and they seem HAPPY.

Weird thing is that they don't pay their workers much more than any other place. Their own website lists starting pay at $11/hr.

Sounds like they have a winning formula. It also sounds like they don't have too many other competitors willing to go into their wallets for the best people.

There are a lot of things besides salary. A lot of gas stations don't even offer health care. Hours and vacations are shit. Even something as simple as not having people work alone in the late hours can have a huge impact on employee morale.

 

[Tairy Hesticles]

They only have leverage because the Government has been paying them nicely to stay home.

If they get better jobs, everything will just even out due to inflation. It's been the crux of the minimum wage argument this whole time. Force employers to pay employees more and they just jack up the prices. Once the prices are jacked up everywhere, the people at the low paying jobs will still be at the low paying jobs, except now they'll be paying more for all their goods and services....which puts them back exactly where they were in the first place. The only people that get hurt are the middle and upper middle class.

Yes but we need some kind of minimum wage, and that number should keep even pace with inflation, no?

I have no idea if that number is $15 an hour. That is way too high in my Midwestern redneck town of 2,000 people. But it seems reasonable if you live on the west coast.

Has anyone proposed a minimum wage bill that ties directly to the geographic cost of living?

 

[SalvadorCollie]

In regard to people capable of working but unwilling, you deserve to starve.

if you want something from society it only makes sense you contribute to it. Unless you’re unable.

 

[RightToBareKnuckles]

I just quit today for a 20% raise at a competitor. 32% in base salary and 20% overall.

Feels good.