Where did all the people go?

[ddickey]

You're probably like me as I love my work and would be there more if I was allowed.
I work at a generating plant that will be shutting down their last unit in 8 years so corporate has decimated their budget. The plant is in really bad shape what was once a pinnacle in the fleet. Sad to see what is going on but I digress.
I guess I shouldn't blame the old guys from the past because nowadays it seems more of a budget thing in regards to the OT.

 

[projectnut]

It seems like a lot of people retired with the pandemic. My wife did. She says she may go back to work someday, but not in the same situation as before. I doubt she will.

The Great American Walkout | National Fund for Workforce Solutions

The quit rate is the highest it has ever been. The number of people we see quitting today signals a broken economy.

nationalfund.org

Unemployment is at a 50 year low of 3.6%, so there aren't that many bodies available looking for work. Wages for conventional employment have been stagnant for decades, not even vaguely keeping up with the cost of living.

Home prices are now rising much faster than incomes, studies show

During the pandemic, home prices shot up while household income fell, creating an affordability crisis.

www.cnbc.com

For the last century and a half, employers have had the upper hand. Not so much anymore. The internet has made it possible for people to work from home or otherwise generate income in unconventional ways that don't entail the expense of commuting, or even owning a car.

The people are out there, they're just not interested in a 5 day, 40 hour week for $15/hr. with no benefits.

The unemployment number is inaccurate at best. It doesn't reflect the actual number of unemployed, but rather the number actively seeking unemployment benefits. If you're not seeking employment, working for cash under the table, are self-employed, or have run out of unemployment benefits you are not counted as part of the "unemployed" population.

In times past the overwhelming majority of people were employees of companies that paid into the unemployment systems. That's changed drastically over the last 20 years. Now days there are huge numbers of people in the "gig" employment sector. They are essentially independent contractors. The company letting the contracts doesn't include them as employees, doesn't pay into the state unemployment fund, and doesn't pay unemployment benefits when the contract expires or is terminated. The only way these people would be counted as unemployed is if they voluntarily paid unemployment taxes for themselves.

 

[mmcmdl]

The Unilever plant was shut down in 2014 for the same reason . Once the biggest soap manufacturing plant and only BDA plant in the US , they pulled bars out to Indiana leaving only liquids . Bars was the cash cow of the company so we knew something was up . They dropped the ball with WISK competing with P&G's TIDE and the liquids starting losing ground . They sold North American liquids to Sun Products which is now a part of Henkle out of the west . It was once a great place to work , nobody ever left on their own . Sad to see these companies leave , but there are still some in the area .