Well, one of the problems. A friend of ours on another platform recently shared this meme (pardon the language):

We understand the intended message. Supply and demand being what it is, workers have the upper hand in the market at the moment. They’re in a position to demand more, and in many cases, they’re getting it. Just driving around this morning we saw signs where businesses are promising a $500 sign-on bonus if you merely accept a job.

So yes, labor can demand more. And yes, employers will pay for it. But why are so many positions still unfilled?

Let’s go back to our friend in the meme. He says, “nobody wanted to work in the first place.” And he says, if you don’t want to pay what he’s demanding . . . well, you know the rest.

Any employer looking at this would think: I’ll pay more for help. But not for this guy.

Why? He has a terrible attitude. He tells you flat out that he doesn’t want to work. And he wants you to know that he doesn’t care in the slightest how the cost of labor affects you.

Many companies are doing everything they can to find good help. But if they’re encountering people who give every indication of being poor employees – especially at a time when the cost of labor is increased – they would rather just do the work themselves than pay a premium for people like our friend in the meme.

Yes, sir, you are more expensive. But you aren’t worth the money with an attitude like that.

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