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That should mean there is a balance between labor supply and labor demand.
Or do you really want to promote an over supply of labor?
That sounds like an imbalance between wage rates required vs rates being offered.
Fewer people who need services they're unwilling or unable to pay for?
This isn't about skills or the age of who is doing the work.
It's about people willing to "stay in the traces" and keep doing a go nowhere job because that's how they were taught.
Taught by people who could do well enough in one of those "go nowhere jobs". Well, once upon a time they could.
Uhh, no. There simply aren't enough warm bodies who are willing, able, and available to fulfill positions. Not to mention that it's difficult to find self-employed plumbers, snow removal guys, housekeepers, etc at any price.
And housing here is in very short supply. Inventories of both for-sale and rental properties are zero in a lot of towns. We've have an influx of wealthy, WFH, out-of-staters move up here since the pandemic began, and it's driven real estate prices to levels that are unaffordable to a lot of local people, assuming they can even find anything on the market.
The labor problem continues to worsen. The local Hannaford supermarket is short 40 people. The meat, fish and deli departments are now closed due to staffing shortages. They are offering record wages but there is a limit. Food costs are rapidly increasing and there are growing shortages of both regional and national items. Many commercial bakeries have either gone out of business or are limiting their product lines due to labor shortages and input costs.
The ski areas are also significantly short staffed and may have to limit terrain and lift operations this season due to not enough people to meet safety requirements. I know several restaurant owners who have significantly cut back hours of operation who are either looking to sell or shutdown if things don't improve because they can't cover their expenses on reduced hours since many expenses such as rent, taxes, insurance, and landscaping/plowing, etc., are the same no matter how many hours you are open.
The impact of Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act of August 2017 was problematic before Covid. It is now amplifying the labor shortage problems. We need to bring back work visas for those willing to work. The demographics of the population, especially in northern New England, doesn't work with an aging population.
The impact of Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act of August 2017 was problematic before Covid. It is now amplifying the labor shortage problems. We need to bring back work visas for those willing to work.
It's almost as if relying on foreign workers for so long was not a good business decision. If the compensation was there, they could employ locals while helping keep younger residents in state versus them flying the coop to places like NC or TX.
Locals don't want the type of unskilled short-term seasonal work filled by J1/H2B non-immigrant visa holders
Quote:
Originally Posted by abnfdc
It's almost as if relying on foreign workers for so long was not a good business decision. If the compensation was there, they could employ locals while helping keep younger residents in state versus them flying the coop to places like NC or TX.
The resorts rely on unskilled J-1 (college break work/cultural exchange for +18yo students) and H-2B (seasonal unskilled labor) work visas. I doubt these no-skill-required seasonal jobs would help "keep younger residents in state" even if the businesses could up the pay sufficiently to be attractive to locals.
I agree, relying on foreign workers for so long was not a good business decision, the businesses should have spent their time and effort on automation and otherwise up-skilling their labor needs to be able to do more with a smaller number of higher paid employees.
The resorts rely on unskilled J-1 (college break work/cultural exchange for +18yo students) and H-2B (seasonal unskilled labor) work visas. I doubt these no-skill-required seasonal jobs would help "keep younger residents in state" even if the businesses could up the pay sufficiently to be attractive to locals.
I agree, relying on foreign workers for so long was not a good business decision, the businesses should have spent their time and effort on automation and otherwise up-skilling their labor needs to be able to do more with a smaller number of higher paid employees.
That is a MUCH better way of saying it.
Where I grew up all the summer help was kids and the bigger towns were augmented by Brazilian kids on visas.
The resorts rely on unskilled J-1 (college break work/cultural exchange for +18yo students) and H-2B (seasonal unskilled labor) work visas. I doubt these no-skill-required seasonal jobs would help "keep younger residents in state" even if the businesses could up the pay sufficiently to be attractive to locals.
Employers like the J-1 and H-2B programs because it saves them money. Employers do not have to pay payroll taxes on J-1 employees and don't have to offer the jobs to locals before hiring through the J-1 program. Basically they can get someone interested in "cultural exchange" for a lot less than hiring locals to do the same job.
H-2B workers are easy to take advantage of as well. They are often exploited financially by employers who know they won't report to the AG as they will be gone before they can get their day in court. Employers undercut local wages by hiring H-2B because "locals won't do the work" they offer.
Will eliminating the programs keep locals in NH? I doubt it. Employers aren't willing to pay what the job entails because it requires either raising prices or reducing profit both of which they fear. Automation is a solution but can a hotel housekeeper, bartender, ski patrol officer, or tour guide be automated?
How lousy does a bartender need to be that they care about their hourly wage over making bank on tips?
Quote:
Originally Posted by robr2
Will eliminating the programs keep locals in NH? I doubt it. Employers aren't willing to pay what the job entails because it requires either raising prices or reducing profit both of which they fear. Automation is a solution but can a hotel housekeeper, bartender, ski patrol officer, or tour guide be automated?
Commercial housekeeping robots are old news, as is automation to speed up the time consuming parts of jobs like bartending (see for example the pint pouring 'bots from Japan). Note that both the links are years old stories, the technology is ready, but companies didn't make the jump while they were able to get inexpensive human staff to do these jobs.
The goal isn't to totally eliminate the need for housekeepers or bartenders, but rather to replace many $15/hour workers with one $30/hour person to handle the exceptions the automatons can't address.
Video surveillance with advanced AI/analytics have allowed resorts to reduce the headcount of ski patrol and tour guide staff needed (e.g. to keep people out of the tree line) and direct human staff to where they are needed.
You'll never be able to replace a human residential housekeeper with a single robot due to the sheer variety of tasks involved, and it will take more time to supervise and reprogram the robot than it will for the human supervisor just to do the job. Right now, you can't find a housekeeper for $30/hour. I talked with, but did not hire, one applicant recently who wanted $90/hour and was getting it from other homeowners, who all appeared to be recent, wealthy, WFH transplants to NH.
You'll never be able to replace a human residential housekeeper with a single robot due to the sheer variety of tasks involved, and it will take more time to supervise and reprogram the robot than it will for the human supervisor just to do the job. Right now, you can't find a housekeeper for $30/hour. I talked with, but did not hire, one applicant recently who wanted $90/hour and was getting it from other homeowners, who all appeared to be recent, wealthy, WFH transplants to NH.
I was thinking more commercial, hadn't considered the plight of the rich homeowner...
The one "wealthy" family I knew who had a "human residential housekeeper" wasn't able to find a replacement when their usual person retired due to fear of contracting COVID. They now own a fleet of Roombas and are learning to scrub their own toilets.
In commercial (large office floors, hospitals, hotels, etc) cleaning, economy of scale works in favor of automation and there's an elevator the 'bot can ride.
In commercial (large office floors, hospitals, hotels, etc) cleaning, economy of scale works in favor of automation and there's an elevator the 'bot can ride.
I've been in more than one hospital that has a big robot running around cleaning the floor.
I'm a huge robot vacuum fan, but i just buy the cheap ilife brands and don't use any of the fancy features. Once they start getting old, I use them in the garage sweeping up dead spiders etc.
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Locals don't want the type of unskilled short-term seasonal work filled by J1/H2B non-immigrant visa holders
How lousy does a bartender need to be that they care about their hourly wage over making bank on tips?
I was thinking more commercial, not residential, where economy of scale works in favor of automation.
