Covid - The Job Market

[Smails]

I’m the Controller for a local manufacturing company. We currently have something like 18 open positions in the plant. We have trouble getting people to show up for the interviews they’ve already agreed to. We also have them just not show up on what’s supposed to be their first day. The pay is not bad, $15+ depending on experience. Unlike a lot of manufacturing facilities , the plant is climate controlled so the work environment is comfortable year round.

It's going to get worse before it gets better. The child tax credit is going to take effect in June and that's going to pay lower income earners up to 300/month/child. I'm in charge of hiring for several fulfillment centers in the US and we are throwing money at our workers and recruits like its candy. Sign-on bonuses, retention pay, free flex-time, free medical benefits, free meals...we're doing all of that and we are still at about 70% capacity in terms of our workforce.

We're fortunate to have some pretty good metrics to track labor trends and the drop off in applications, as well as voluntary turnover is directly tied to when the government sends out more money. It's like clockwork and it's not going to ease up anytime soon.

**On that note, if anyone knows anyone or has a student returning for summer that is looking for a good paying, non-labor intensive gig (no heavy lifting) with flexible hours, hit me up with a message. Our Cincinnati area DC has 30 openings right now.**

[murray87]

The new job numbers released today were 260K when the "experts" were expecting 1mill. Ooops.

[xupuck10]

Speaking of drivers....Uber is investing $250 Mil to get drivers back on the road. NOW would be the time if you wanted to make a little extra driving for a ride share company. Because of as lack of drivers a ride to The Battery (where the Braves play) that used to cost me about $7 for the 3 mile, 8 minute ride has recently been going for $19-$34. And that is IF you can get a driver. For the first time ever I got a response that said “No Drivers Available” several times, including once that resulted in me hiking home 3 miles.

Hell, for $34 every 8 minutes I would consider cruising around chatting with folks!

If you used to drive for Uber for some extra cash, NOW is when you might want to look at going back!

Way off topic here, but my prior role used to take me to Atlanta once a quarter. We'd always be at our vendor's office in Midtown, but our office was in Smyrna and my coworkers would always provide different food recommendations outside of Midtown/Buckhead. One that was highly recommended, and wound up becoming a mainstay for our trips was Yakitori Jinbei. It's right up the road from Truist Park. I know it's been on some different shows, but still seems off the normal path....and the Korean Fried Chicken is amazing!

[MADXSTER]

Was in LaRosa's yesterday and the manager of 20+ years said that he's never seen anything like it. Worst shortage of workers ever. Said sales are at an all time high and people have money, it's just that no one wants to work.

[xu82]

Way off topic here, but my prior role used to take me to Atlanta once a quarter. We'd always be at our vendor's office in Midtown, but our office was in Smyrna and my coworkers would always provide different food recommendations outside of Midtown/Buckhead. One that was highly recommended, and wound up becoming a mainstay for our trips was Yakitori Jinbei. It's right up the road from Truist Park. I know it's been on some different shows, but still seems off the normal path....and the Korean Fried Chicken is amazing!

I’ll take this as a sign. That place is owned and run by my optometrist’s husband. (We LOVE her and he’s also an optometrist.) I was at her office just yesterday because my mother had an appointment. We learned about the place right before Covid and had been trying to get there before the world shut down. It’s back on the to-do list now!

[Lamont Sanford]

The new job numbers released today were 260K when the "experts" were expecting 1mill. Ooops.

That's what happens when the government pays people not to work. Bunch of asshats.

[Mrs. Garrett]

I also forgot to mention yesterday that here in Illinois there have been tons of fake unemployment claims. My company told me someone had filed one in my name and had to go through the process of rectifying with the state.

It seems like 75% of the people I talk to about it have had it happen to them or know someone who has.

[xu82]

That's what happens when the government pays people not to work. Bunch of asshats.

This was worth repeating....just because I could.

[paulxu]

A partial solution:

As March drew to a close, Klavon's Ice Cream Parlor in the Strip District found itself without enough workers for the upcoming spring and summer rush, and it certainly did not have enough workers to open the shop to its desired seven days a week schedule.

Then, on March 30, the parlor announced it would more than double the starting wage for the roles, going from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour, a scoop that seemed to captivate workers throughout the region and one that earned a significant amount of local media coverage.

"It was instant, overnight. We got thousands of applications that poured in," Maya Johnson, general manager of Klavon's, said. "It was very overwhelming, very. People were coming in by the next day that it broke on the news, they were coming in, filling out paper applications. I was doing on-the-spot interviews."

[ArizonaXUGrad]

I also forgot to mention yesterday that here in Illinois there have been tons of fake unemployment claims. My company told me someone had filed one in my name and had to go through the process of rectifying with the state.

It seems like 75% of the people I talk to about it have had it happen to them or know someone who has.

This happened to me as well. It is a huge bummer but with the myriad of hacks in the last few years these things are inevitable.