The data that shows Boomers are to blame for the labor shortage

[StClone]

As covered in this article from CNN Business:

Here's the thing: Early retirement — whether forced by the pandemic or made possible otherwise — is having a huge impact on the labor market. And data show that retiring boomers, far more than "lazy" millennials, are the biggest force behind the labor shortage.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/18/business/labor-shortage-boomers-millennials-nightcap/index.html

If this is an actuality why are we not allowing more workers from outside the US to enter our job market as American workers are unavailable, unwilling, or unable to fill openings?

[Sherman A1]

1. Here's the thing

Employers treating people poorly for eons are the most responsible. Boomers being older have had the "benefits" of this wonderful experience to a greater degree and having retired or near retirement age saw the gyrations of their management and said no more.

[StClone]

4. Something went right if they can retire

Good planning, inflated stocks/investments, real estate sky rocking...or are they just throwing in the towel and bowing out into a lower level of security?

The article says there are other reasons for jobs going unfilled. But, the tail end boomers are going out at a level that has driven much of the worker shortage. I love working (at 64). Call me crazy, but I will keep working for years no matter what because it is stimulating mentally and physically. Many of my coworkers have health issues, or have physically declined, many in their mid-50's, to the point of needing to retire. I can see a lot going on but the article argues and supports one reason: Boomers leaving the workforce.

[Sherman A1]

7. I'm a boomer that was forced out at 62

they wanted to replace my top rate pay with a lower paid buddy of my then manager. They got exactly what they wanted in 2016. When the pandemic hit, the company was begging for retirees to return to help out. Not a prayer from my point of view.

As to why people left or had to leave the workforce no matter the age group, the reasons are a varied as the individuals. As mentioned I was forced out with no desire to return to "help 'em out", A friend's wife (another boomer) who was a respiratory therapist retired in April of 2020 because she didn't want to deal with what she saw coming. Some folks left for health reasons, some folks because of child care issues, some had their jobs leave them, such as many restaurant employees and found other work as demand increased in other area such as parcel delivery.

Despite The Cable Noise Network's desire to wrap up the reason into one four word soundbite before they break to the next round of commercials for drugs we never knew we needed, the answer just ain't that easy.

[StClone]

12. Sorry to hear of you misfortunate

Tough to be forced into life choices like that. I live where the paper industry when into decline over the last 20 years and watching those highly compensated factory workers make adjustments was an eye-opener (though some buyouts were pretty good as a retirement incentive).

[Scrivener7]

2. If the boomers are able to survive financially without a job, this is a boon

to everyone.

When there is a worker shortage, workers benefit.

[StClone]

5. I agree

[madville]

3. A large percentage of 18-50 year olds are unemployable

When I say “unemployable” I am lumping in many factors. Health, criminal history, drug use, appearance, no drivers license, poor credit history, etc, etc.

We have a large population of 18-50 year olds that are not in the work force, there is no shortage of population, there is a shortage of employable people.

I work for an electric utility for example, every employee has to have a valid drivers license or they are unemployable here. Every employee must be able to pass pre-hire and random drug tests or they are unemployable. Some employees must have a TWIC card, so that involves a federal background check, again, that renders many folks unemployable for those positions.

[StClone]

10. A large percentage of 18-50 year olds are unemployable-don't I know it

We offer easy work, no overtime, pretty good benefits, two weeks vacation, with no experience and you get a minimum of $16/hour. The kids never last! They call-in drunk, arrives high, as soon as you turn your back they pop in earbuds or texting.

It is sad. Maybe I was this bad at age 21! And, I do have some hires with a commitment to do a good job. We work hard to hire LGBTQ and are responsive to any concerns they have. Many kids we get have mental health issues from rage, anti-social, excessive compulsive, depression, and attention disorders.

[doc03]

17. My niece did the hiring for a fast food restaraunt. She

said only about 1 out of 3 could pass the drug test. She would hire the ones that passed and less than half of them would show up for work. She told of one that she told in the interview to come to work Monday morning. He said he wasn't really feeling like work just now. This was before the pandemic was here. Some of these kids can't even make change. One morning at McDonald's the kid owed me 20 cents. He looks and there are no dimes and was totally dumbfounded figuring how many nickles to give me. I saw the same thing where I worked. I broke in a guy on my job the next day when I came to work he had the doors locked and was asleep. There a few very few that were good workers though.
With us boomers we could get a good union job with benefits and retirement right out of high school. The kids today will have to work til they die unless they can go to college.

[Metaphorical]

18. Actually, the valid drivers license is a blocker

School districts, facing massive cuts at the federal because the GOP couldn't abide public education, dramatically cut down on things like driver's education. Used to be, most schools taught DE at the age of 15. Today, those programs are long gone, and getting a driver's license now has to be done through expensive "schools" that charge $600-$1000 a student. That's really a hardship for a lot of low-income families.

I have two young adult children, one 21, the other 28. My 28 year old has been trying to get a drivers license for years, but she can't fit the classes into her work schedule and has not had the money to pay for the classes when she could. Most of her friends and acquaintances are in the same situation.

[Scrivener7]

19. I am not trying to be obnoxious, but a long, long time ago when I was 16

most of us did full time school, part time job, lots of household responsibilities and still managed to get a license, without driver's ed, in record time. I think I took 3 months after I was eligible for a learner's permit.

And I had TWO part time jobs after school!

In those days it meant freedom and a social life. Now there is not as much incentive because a lot of people's social lives are conducted on the net.

[IbogaProject]

30. Schedules have gotten less predictible

schedules have gotten way less stable and predictable, and the prevailing wage can't support someone. Minimum wage in the 50s, 60s and even some of the 70s it could. health care is way more expensive, housing, and having a car are all much more burdensome with loads of fees and taxes everywhere. and you're forgetting the whole swindle with the student loan debt. Folks before the mid 1980s could graduate college without much if any debt, that hasn't been the case ever since.

Our society is failing as we've spent too much on the Military, and the War on Some Drugs, while allowing health costs to skyrocket.

Can you blame kids who were raised by impoverished millenials for being unemployable?

[Scrivener7]

31. None of this has anything to do with my post.

[IbogaProject]

36. I'd bet you took your test in a standard car, can't be done now.

I bet you took your test in a standard car. Now many places require a special car with a second brake that costs money both for the car and the company rep who comes along with it. Also the fees for many everyday items like around driving are much more expensive. And insurance is very expensive for anyone under even 30 years old, especially in their teens.

[Scrivener7]

37. What the fuck are you talking about? This STILL has nothing to do with my post.

[Freddie]

24. What state are you in?

Here in PA you don’t need any formal driving school to get your license, although it lowers your insurance rate. All you have to do is pass the written and driving tests at the DMV, at 16 1/2 with 6 months on a learner’s permit, or 18 anytime after you get the permit.

[OnlinePoker]

25. I don't know when "used to be" was, but I came of age in the 70's and had to pay

I was in the military for 35 years in logistics. My last 10 years, less than half the people who came into my trade didn't have a driver's license. I guess the recruiters decided we (the end units) could make it work. I didn't think when I got to the third highest non-commissioned rank that I would still be doing supply runs because there was nobody available who was qualified to drive. The problem in the Canadian military, in order to get a military driver's permit to drive the vehicles, you needed a fully qualified civilian DL. Every province has its own licensing requirements and in some, it can literally take years to get the learners permit then novice level and finally fully qualified. It works if you are sitting on a base, but deployments can wreck the scheduled driver's training.

[sanatanadharma]

6. Well, if the data shows it

As a boomer I can say that I have personally been blamed for so much since I was perhaps six.

Seems to me that pre-pandemic, there were those suggesting boomers should retire for the benefit of the younger workers.
Way to go, guys.

[underpants]

9. The boomer retirement has been expected for at least 10 years

It’s been talked about a lot. I think it just finally hit.

Oh you boomers are responsible for stretch waistline pants. It’s all your fault!!!

[StClone]

11. It was predicted, why don't we allow in more workers?

My co-workers from Mexico, Hmong, and Jamaica are some of my most reliable.

[underpants]

8. Makes sense. I've thought that some of this is 2nd and 3rd jobs

People may have realized that they were working to get things they didn’t really need. Those stimulus checks with the unemployment was a boon to many people. Also, there are mental and substance issues that we won’t get a good idea about for a while.

Boomers retiring opens up positions for people who may have been stalled after the F
Great Recession. That was 13 years ago but I’m sure a lot of people just got into a position that was good enough and/or safe. Greatly underemployed.

[sinkingfeeling]

13. Better tell employers. My ex-employer didn't want folks to hang around much

past the age of 52. I was 'bridged' to retirement at age 53. Of course, I got another job and retired from it at 67.

[Tomconroy]

14. We need less illegal immigration but much, much more

legal immigration.

[StClone]

16. Dems to make that case would be brave!

Enough of the population (and media) has put us on a path that will be detrimental: As, they are anti-vax, anti-intellectual, xenophobia, and anti-democratic.

[Metaphorical]

15. I predicted this 15 years ago

The Baby Boom peaked in 1954-55. That meant that by 2020, 65 years later, we would be seeing half of all boomers hitting retirement age. Demographically, the Baby Boom generation was a tidal wave, much larger than any previous generation. Many people wanted to hold on until they hit 65 and so were eligible for social security, had pensions that kicked in at 65, and often faced corporate policies that pushed people out the door at 65. From here on out, this population will be shrinking, removing as many people from the workforce as has been removed to date, until we hit the nadar in 2038. What's worse, in about five years, even those people that have chosen to stay working past 65 will likely retire due to ill-health, diminishing returns or death, which will in fact accelerate the process.

It's also worth noting that those that are leaving represent a vast amount of stored experience being lost, and that too is accelerating because so many companies chose to outsource, leaving a fairly critical gap in the mid-tier that ordinarily would have helped transition apprentice workers into more seasoned project manager position across all industries. This is bad news for companies that are both going to pay more for less experienced workers to get them to a level where they're competent and will be competing in a labor market that is likely to tighten for the next decade, but is likely to be a boon for labor, as competition for labor will stay high for a while.

[LakeArenal]

20. Sure it's the Boomers

Taking those Walmart greeter jobs.

[StClone]

21. Or, maybe retiring from Walley World

[SWBTATTReg]

22. Ah, once again we're being blamed for the woes of the world, blah, blah, blah...

Getting tired of it.

A big part of the blame, IMHO, resides w/ these so called junk jobs that pay the absolute minimum possible, no benefits, etc. by the millions (maybe even tens of millions of such undesirable jobs).

Sure some of us are going to miss the occasional fast food meal or going to our local quick trip for gas or other such things, and suffer other such minor drawbacks, but guess who's really making the money here in these scenarios? It isn't us, the workers/grunts, it's the literally dozens and dozens (maybe hundreds) of billionaires/millionaires, paying the lowest possible minimum wages, still raking in the millions and millions of dollars every week (while we're getting nothing, no money worth speaking about, no benefits, nothing).

And as a reminder, look at how much in taxes Musk and Brazos (Amazon) paid over the last 10-20 years, while each of them raked in over 200+- billion dollars in wealth...

[StClone]

23. As a Boomer-as the bulge in the Python

It is not far-fetched that we have had a tremendous effect on this country and at this point, as we age and exit the job force we are having another. It is not about some misperceived blame game, it is that we are set to leave our mark at a critical time.

[OnlinePoker]

26. I hear you.

I was tail end of the boom and there were no jobs to be had (especially because of the Reagan recession in the early 80's). I ended up joining the Canadian military because there was nothing else available. I stayed for 35 years and got a good pension, but really dislike all the hate boomers get for the crime of being born at a certain time.

[StClone]

28. It is not hate/blame it is just statistics

Eduction was not at all a big financial burden in the 80s when I got a Master's. The competition was strong for any decent position then and I ended up taking a position outside my degree. It was a stroke of luck as it paid very well and allowed me to start several companies. I sold my companies and did the retirement thing ten years ago! Got so bored, and missed working and people, I took up a new career and it too has been a blessing.

[ThoughtCriminal]

27. I retired early

I'm 63. We worked hard and were hypercompetitive because it was a requirement. We entered the job market in large numbers just when the nation started into economic decline and had to manage a career and raise a family through multiple recessions at a time of labor surpluses, mass layoffs, and union-busting. We worked hard and were treated like crap by employers. And even when the economy grew, wages remained stagnant. And just as the Great Recession hit, we dealt with age discrimination. Nobody wanted to hire workers over 50.

We did have some advantages - education was still affordable.

Now the capitalists have to deal with a labor shortage? Well boo-hoo. Pay and treat your employees better than the last generation.

[StClone]

29. Agreed

[wackadoo wabbit]

32. What are you talking about?! Wages need to rise; then there won't be a "labor shortage"

If you allow more workers from outside the U.S. (on H-1B visas, I assume), that'll just continue to depress wages.

This whole "labor shortage" trope is just bullshit. There are plenty of people who are willing to work, but they're not willing to work for starvation wages. Raise wages enough, and — poof! — the "labor shortage" will disappear.

[StClone]

34. There is currently a worker shortage.

Covid, retirement, smaller families, people reassessing their employment and moving up. Though it may be temporary (year or more) it could be longer. If as you say pay more and things will take care of themselves, think of this, each level of employment will pay more and the bottom level will still be lacking.

The results are fewer full store shelves, longer waits for return business calls, longer waits to get your car serviced, and so on. I have a young friend who is a Medical Lab Science Tech. he started four years ago at $20/hr. and quickly had raise up to 38/hr. They can not find workers and he makes over $60/hr. now. They are getting very few applicants and he is forced to take many extra hours. So at what point will this bigger wage kick in? Same for high school grocery baggers. Starting at 13 dollars an hour when just one year ago the going rate was $9.25 here.

[wackadoo wabbit]

35. $13/hour is still slave wages. If MW had kept up with inflation, it would be more than $24/hour

Where can you afford a one-bedroom apartment and have enough left over for food, healthcare, gas to get to your slave-wage job, etc. on $13 an hour?

People are refusing to work for slave wages any longer. As was explained in another site that I frequent, if I have to live in my car even though I'm working, what's the point of working?

MW = minimum wage; sorry, not enough room in the title

[Scrivener7]

38. Which is all very good for the workers.

[StClone]

39. That is my take