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I would also note that DC is different in the sense that there is a height restriction on most buildings. This means they cannot grow up so therefore the rents then go up. It wouldn't surprise me that they get 38 applicants per job vacancy given that if it isn't some non profit, the federal government or dc city government or a lobbyist for something there isn't that much left.
Besides the statement doesn't specifically say which job openings.
Incorrect, most are trying to find any job, this is why some basic admin assist position in the DC area will get 200 applications, and why unpaid internships will get 200 applications because people with college degrees are willing to do about anything to get some job experieince of any sort. You will also see the proliferation of "volunteer opportunity" job annoucements because organizaitons know there is a huge surplus of educated and skilled people in the DC area that will work for free just to get experience on the resume.
Retail in the DC area will not hire a college grad, good luck ever getitng one of those Mavy's seasonal positions, a cashier at Marshalls, or be a sales associate at H&M with a colelge degree. leave out the degree, then they will not hire you because you cannot account for what you have done for the last four years.
So much for the conservatives and their hatred of the unemployed. Plenty of people applying for jobs that are "beneath them".
one simple question:
Are these jobs the ones promised by the local political hacks at what they deem a "living wage", or are the level of wages going to be determined by the free interplay of supply and demand?
Anything along the lines of the former is doomed to fail -- you simply can't promise a wage level sufficient to support dependents when not everyone has dependents to support; (and many of them are currently supported by the "safety net" -- thin though it be).
We can't sustain the level of wages we knew in the Nineties because of globalization; we are no longer the only dominant player -- and any politico or unionist who tells you we can is blowing smoke. If you want to go back to a system that spawned two World Wars and a Global Depression -- I'll pass, thanks!
And like it or not, many small employers practice their own brand of "plantation paternalism"; Loyalty -- the knowledge of who can be trusted to stay put, and who will leave at the first opportunity -- often determines who gets what little more there is to be doled out.
And a lot of those people applying for jobs that are "beneath them" have options -- Unemployment, pensions, working spouses -- there are an infinite number of ways to "play the game" of seasonal/part-time employment if one has attained a mature age with a half-decent track record.
It's an ugly, frustrating situation; but it's always been that way, and like it or not, it's better than anything else yet devised.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 11-20-2013 at 08:28 AM..
38 applicants per opening is terrible and points to real problems.
Why? Because Wal-mart is an employer of last resort. If even they have far too many applicants per job opening, that speaks volumes about just how bad the rest of the economy is.
That is hilarious. You have no idea how desirable Walmart is compared to most places to work if you don't have a lot of marketable skills. Here are some places I worked and would have quit in a heartbeat if offered a job at Walmart:
1) Stocker at a Korean grocery store, min. wage, no benefits. Got yelled at daily by the owner in Korean and then fired when his nephew needed a job.
2) A caddie at a middle class golf club. With tips, my average take home pay was less than min. wage for carrying 40 lbs for 4 hours in 80-90 degree weather for a bunch of insurance salesmen.
3) Stocker at a party store and balloon maker. Fun job, min. wage, but hours depended on the health of the business and was very inconsistent. Had to quit when my hours dropped to 16 hours per week.
4) Worked as a Farmhand for a summer. Paid above min. age, but brutal, physical work. Lived in dorm, felt isolated and lonely.
5) Worked as clerk/sales associate at clothing store. Didn't make my sales quota and was told to get my friends to hang out in the store and buy stuff there. Hated having to abuse my friendships for their lousy overpriced clothes.
6) Worked as a knife salesman and basically had to do high pressure sales tactics. Not fun and felt terrible doing it.
7) Data entry, helping a company installing a new computer system manually enter millions of pages of data into the new system. Paid $15 per hour, but wanted to shoot myself from the tedium.
8) Worked the grill at a restaurant. With tips, maybe $10 an hour and free drinks from the bar afterhours.
Walmart isn't the best place to work, but they pay more than min. wage, offer some benefits, have workplace rules that are enforced better than in small businesses where anything seems to go, can usually be clean most of the day, and actually have a possibility and path into management that isn't solely tied to your sales ability like in most retail places.
Are these jobs the ones promised by the local political hacks at what they deem a "living wage", or are the level of wages going to be determined by the free interplay of supply and demand?
The Living Wage Bill was vetoed by the Mayor so the minimum wage of $8.25 is still in effect.
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