In the majority of the USA right now there are a lack of workers, particularly in restaurants and retail. Thus far there are two prevailing theories:

1. Lazy bums mooching off of increased and extended unemployment benefits since Covid hit, except now restaurants and retail are filling up as more people go out again and those former employees are now just suckin off the ole government teet instead of going back to work.

2. When Covid hit, there was an exodus of restaurant/retail employees, but it didnt really matter because there were far less customers. Plenty did go on unemployment, but when they went back to work (either a year ago or more recently) they thought "do i really want to go deal with customers directly at restaurants/retail for $10-14/hr with a dickhead boss and shit hours? Or, do I want to make $20/hr setting my own hours cruisin around with no boss as a Doordash or Uber driver?"

I think it's about 10% #1 and 90% #2. I'm largely a free market capitalist with exceptions of times where it makes fiscal sense to spend money to make more money. I see republican boomers (and restaurant owners) kickin and screaming that "no one wants to work anymore" when really, it's just that no one wants to work there. Free market has figured out that the "gig economy" pays more and is a better work environment.

That's my belief, what's yours?

I make 20 an hour weekdays uber driving in my free time and 40 on weekends. I have a full time job with flexible hours.

#2 is definitely a significant contributor.

Hey, so here's what I think above in bold. Have a good night!

This post was edited by CyrusTheGreat on Jun 7 2021 07:47pm

i agree it's a mixture of both, but i think it's more #1 than #2

we'll see though, as more states are returning the requirement to search for work to continue receiving unemployment that shortage of workers, IMO, will dwindle away.

many people were making more money sitting on the couch than they were beforehand. what incentive do they have to go to work? my company laid us off several times cuz of lack of work due to pandemic, i collected, and did some side work for friends and family, i wasa little bummed when we started working again, not gonna lie, but i think they went too overboard with the unemployment, i don't even want to know how much it added to debt.

This post was edited by Donahey on Jun 7 2021 08:14pm

Boosted/extended unemployment benefits largely ended when May ended. Some states have it thru June. We'll learn quickly if it's just a ton of lazy bums waiting as long as they can til they have to go back to their shitty retail/restaurant jobs again. However, one thing that I've asked a lot of hardcore conservatives that i've yet to receive an answer on is "why would someone work at a restaurant/retail place for $10-14/hour when they can make more as a Doordash driver?" I get that it takes a toll on your car, but i think the independence you have being your own boss/setting your own hours really tips the scales.

I've never workedd in fast food, but from what i've heard, i'd rather work for doordash. I don't think they make much more money than fast food though, with the above stated wear and tear on ur car, and extra gas it mostly evens out. not to mention the fact that (unless this has changed, or was only uber) these people doing doordash are 10-99'd which ends up closing that gap even more correct? idk how the taxes work with all, maybe you or someone else here could expand on that if you know.

making your own hours though, is a huge benefit that many people overlook. I learned during layoff how nice that is.




oh i did forget about weekend rates and in bigger cities you probably make more. maybe the gap is a little bigger than i had thought.

This post was edited by Donahey on Jun 7 2021 08:21pm

So I worked in a restaurant thru HS and College from about 2004-2012. Made $5.35/hr when i started, $10/hr when I left. I drove around a $1800 1994 Toyota Corolla lol. It got great gas mileage and who gives a fuck about the wear and tear on a car like that as long as it keeps running. Had Doordash been an option back then, I'd have quit my job in a heartbeat to do it. Who wouldn't? Even if the gas expense/wear and tear/1099 status reduced the pay, it's still a little more than most restaurants/retail pay ANDDDD you get to just cruise around listening to Spotify all day on your own schedule with no boss? It's a no brainer.

for sure, and with how restaurants were all delivery or carryout, it significantly increased the amount of deliveries for doordash, and other similar services. Similar to unemployment though, as things get back to normal, worker shortages will dwindle from that too, i think.

Well, because, would you consider their $20 an hour salary when having to finance one's own employment / deal with the non-monetary stresses of vehicle breakdowns and maintenance cycles far more routine than usual (100 city miles a day wreaks havoc on a vehicle - including the most expensive parts such as transmission) the same as $20 an hour earned by skills either virtually or within far less of a distance (and usually highway miles at that) where you can park your car for the day?

To me, the doordash driver isn't making $20 - he's probably making closer to $10 (do remember - as a self-employed contractor, you pay double medicare taxes and are required to fund your own healthcare plan).

That's also before car insurance. They do ask what you do for a living and delivery services using one's vehicle can up to triple the standard car insurance monthly rates. All factors now considered, I would say he's probably bringing home about $9.

If that fulfills one's needs, more power to them. But it's a logical fallacy in my opinion to consider $20 from DoorDash (when factoring the hidden costs) to be the same thing as, say, $20 as an entry level programmer.

This post was edited by CyrusTheGreat on Jun 7 2021 08:48pm

Less migrant workers filling the shit jobs.

You have really got to learn how to take advantage of tax write offs.

This post was edited by Plaguefear on Jun 7 2021 09:04pm