When there are employment problems in an economy, all too often an economist will speak of "lack of demand". But there are very different types of demand, and "demand" is something that cannot just simply be quantified into a single value, rather what needs to be considered is the quality of the demand. For example, there might be some powerful Chief Executive Officer being paid a huge amount of money. Does that mean that there is a "high demand" for Chief Executive Officers, despite the fact that there is only one of them who is hired? Or suppose there are so many minimum wage jobs available that they cannot hire enough of them. But despite the large number of workers, they are not being paid very much. Does that mean there is a "high demand" for these workers? When it comes to unemployment issues in an economy, there are three different types of problems that can happen. 1. Sometimes there are enough jobs for everyone, but they are crappy jobs. This can happen when there is a lack of demand for skilled labor, but there is the presence of industry that can employ many low-wage workers. If the employers had to pay higher wages, it would not be worth it, but at low-wages they can manage to run enough profit. Simply there is a demand for a large amount of labor, but not a big demand for any individual worker. 2. Low wages and salaries. In some situations most of the people just do not have the purchasing power to create much demand. They still need skilled professionals but can just not afford to pay them very much. So good jobs may be available, but it takes years of training and then does not pay very well. 3. In some economic situations there is plenty of money to be made. If you are a skilled professional, there are good jobs available. But not everyone was made to go to school for so long, and it may be difficult for potential workers to get the real experience or training to get into these good jobs, even though there are plenty of those jobs to go around. So there is not enough demand for entry level and unskilled work for all the people who would need it. During an economic crisis each of these three problem types often occurs combined with another. But the question is, does one often co-occur with another? When there is an economic crisis, does it usually hit skilled workers at the same time it hits unskilled workers? Or is it more often that one of these phenomena occurs in isolation?
It is imperative for a business to have employees to satisfy the demands of products and services. If there are more jobs than workers, companies will compete for the workers by increasing wages and/or benefits, etc. If they cannot find labor to satisfy demands then they close the doors. There will always and forever be jobs at all locations on the bell curve...from crappy to comfortable to great. Jobs are jobs and each worker needs to find the best place for their skills and needs. Labor is no different than materials...both must be at a cost which allows the business model to succeed. Again, a business must obtain labor which will satisfy product demands, no matter the cost to do so. Once the costs exceed the business model, the business is no longer viable in current form. You can't stereotype workers...each person is unique in what they have to offer and what their needs might be. It is each person's decision how they manage their work lives. Your final questions are too broad and it's worthless to stereotype or assume. Each worker is in charge of their fate...100%...
Each worker is in charge of their fate... as an insignificant member of a union which will never be voted out by the workers, even if they drive the company bus off a cliff on polling day. Some freedom.
Everyone makes 100% of their decisions...no one is holding a gun to anyone's head. If someone dislikes their situation then they simply need to take steps to change course. No one said it is easy but when change is needed...only that person can make it happen...
If you delve into the details of the supposed skilled worker shortage that is plaguing US manufacturers these days you will find the real culprit, decades of greedy short term profit seeking. Manufacturing in the US has increased its capacity by ten times over the last thirty years while reducing its workforce by 80%. The decline in manufacturing jobs from automation created a surplus of workers, which caused a decline in the unions because they could no longer provide job security for their members or afford to maintain their training programs for new workers. The result of all that is that manufacturing wages declined and no new workers were trained for a generation because there was a large surplus of trained workers competing for jobs. That time is over. All the skilled manufacturing workers who learned their trade in the unions are retiring and the few people who have the skills to take their place have spent a lot of money at for profit trade schools to learn their skills. They are completely unwilling to the low wages offered by manufacturers because there is far higher wage offerings in other sectors that have similarly short changed themselves, like the construction industry which is experiencing an even longer term and larger shortage of skilled workers due to their concerted effort over the years to get rid of unions with right to work laws which, a generation later has resulted in such a massive shortages that they are now paying twice as much for skilled tradesman to get their projects completed. Manufacturers these days advertise jobs for journeyman electricians with five years experience in industrial controls at $16 an hour. Construction companies pay apprentice electricians right out of trade school $26 an hour. It costs about $30-40,000 to go to a trade school to become and apprentice electrician. $16 and hour is a bad joke. Manufacturers are not in the position to penny pinch skilled workers anymore. Top management may have to take a pay cut to maintain production, their typical 40-50% share of total employee expense will need to be reduced. If I was a youngster with no direction I would take up learning a building trade like electrician or plumber or carpenter because there is no generation between you and all the old timers who will be retiring soon and if you are not a jerk they will teach you everything they know. After a few years of putting up with their cranky ways you will be able to go anywhere and get a well paying job because you will have learned how to do tricky stuff that only experience can teach.
