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This is a very loaded and complex topic to unpack. You've got issues with defining what the American Work Ethic was, is, and should be. There is an issue with cost of living, barriers of social mobility, education, distribution of wages, regionalization, and industry specialization that are all factors.
Today's demand of the workforce is very different to that of the pre-internet 80's which was very different to the post WWII boomer middle class expansion.
This is currently an incredible demand for specialized skilled labor and significant deficiency for generalized labor. Hence we're getting a large bi-modal distribution of incomes where the gap is ever widening. The "American dream" is becoming out of reach for a great deal of Americans which is inhibiting social mobility and likely the entrepreneurial spirit and work ethic within the impacted groups.
Other pockets of the population that posses the specialized skill set are benefitting from a great deal of wealth increase and their work ethic is greater than ever.
This is a very loaded and complex topic to unpack. You've got issues with defining what the American Work Ethic was, is, and should be. There is an issue with cost of living, barriers of social mobility, education, distribution of wages, regionalization, and industry specialization that are all factors.
Today's demand of the workforce is very different to that of the pre-internet 80's which was very different to the post WWII boomer middle class expansion.
This is currently an incredible demand for specialized skilled labor and significant deficiency for generalized labor. Hence we're getting a large bi-modal distribution of incomes where the gap is ever widening. The "American dream" is becoming out of reach for a great deal of Americans which is inhibiting social mobility and likely the entrepreneurial spirit and work ethic within the impacted groups.
Other pockets of the population that posses the specialized skill set are benefitting from a great deal of wealth increase and their work ethic is greater than ever.
I think that's hits right into the crotch of the problem.
On one hand we need workers who understand, commit to and are able to complete complex tasks and work involved abstract thinking. However, at the same time we tell kids math does not matter, you won't ever use algebra, math is racist etc.
On the other hand we have oodles of marginally attached, generally unskilled and uninterested workaday types who are mad that life and work has mostly passed them by. The post a few above about putting in minimum effort over a career makes the point.
I read a very disturbing piece the other day about how high school diploma only or less educated millennials are doing and it's horrifying. Low marriages rates, high out of wedlock birth rates, lots of young grand mothers, utterly unacceptable financial situations, legions hitting early middle age with practically nothing, very high booze and drug dependencies etc. And yet those with some college and degrees and up are doing fine with much less of the negative markers.
American work ethic is dying because work ethic is a stupid concept.
THIS POST ^^^^^^
and C2BP and Aryas also ,
People are not going to work themselves into an early grave and be thankful for it or for whatever crumbs they get for it . That way of life is going away . I do not know how things are going to change but they ARE changing now .
Many here know I lived i the Netherlands for a long while and ALL the countries there give 30 days paid and double paid vacations a year . They are stunned to know that most workers here never get that or any vacation at all . This country can do better for its people .
I tried to go to a local restaurant at 3:30 - it's a La Madeleine and all I wanted to do was get a coffee and a dessert to go, because I hadn't had lunch somehow or another. Lo and behold, they have been forced to close at 3 and you know why? LACK OF STAFF. That's all - LACK OF STAFF.
You know - I didn't go there to save money. I would have paid whatever (I mean, within reason) for a coffee and dessert to go. What I mean is that I would have paid in order for them to pay a living wage - but they can't find people to work, though our unemployment rate statewide is 6.9.
Things that make you go "Hmmmm...."
By the way, the pay for a cashier/sales associate in Tyler, Texas is $11 or more an hour, full or part time and this does not include tips. I mean, this requires no college education, no certifications, not much if any experience. It's an entry level job. https://www.indeed.com/cmp/La-Madele...=Texas&start=0
THIS POST ^^^^^^
and C2BP and Aryas also ,
People are not going to work themselves into an early grave and be thankful for it or for whatever crumbs they get for it . That way of life is going away . I do not know how things are going to change but they ARE changing now .
Many here know I lived i the Netherlands for a long while and ALL the countries there give 30 days paid and double paid vacations a year . They are stunned to know that most workers here never get that or any vacation at all . This country can do better for its people .
Netherlands has a bracketed income tax system with four income tax brackets, ranging from a low of 2.30% for those earning under €18,218 to a high of 52.00% for those earning more then €54,367 a year.
How does the Netherlands Income Tax compare to the rest of the world?
The Netherlands income tax, at up to 52.00%, is the highest income tax rate in the world. Keep in mind that our ranking measures only nationwide income taxes, and does not account for local income taxes at state, province, or municipal levels.
Netherlands Income Taxes
Maximum Income Tax Income Tax Allowance World Tax Rank
52.00% €1,987 ($0 USD) 1st of 34
What is the Netherlands Income Tax?
Netherlands's personal income tax is a bracketed income tax that must be paid yearly by all citizens to the government of Netherlands. Failure to pay, or underpayment of, the Netherlands income tax can result in high fees, fines, or jail time.
In addition to Netherlands's income tax, other taxes may apply to wages or profits earned, including social services, medical care, and capital gains taxes.
Netherlands Income Tax Allowance
Netherlands provides most taxpayers with an income tax allowance of €1,987, which can be kept as a tax-free personal allowance. Netherlands's tax credit is a basic wastable tax credit, non-tapered, available to all (single) taxpayers without dependents.
A tax credit is a fixed amount of money that may be kept by taxpayers without paying any income taxes. Generally, a tax credit is subtracted from your gross income before your taxable income is calculated.
American work ethic is dying because work ethic is a stupid concept.
Here is why I think "work ethic is dying" across all socioeconomic levels.
The younger generations don't care about stuff or making tons of money. All they really care about now is their connection to the internet and the devices connected to it. They also care about a small close knit group of friends and family who share their beliefs.
Older generations worked 60 hours a week so they could could buy huge mc mansions and put a boat they use 3 times a year or a motorcycle they ride less than a thousand miles a year on credit card.
All the younger generations want is a small place with a good internet connection and enough money to survive and go to dutch brothers ocassionaly. They saw how older generations were bad with money and decided that work ethic dosen't equal wealth so what is the point of working so hard.
I'm 40 now. I used to drive newer cars, have a big house and lots of toys but after losing so much money on all of it. I decided to give it all up. I found the more I worked the more depreciating crap I bought, thus necesitating me to work more to pay for said depricating crap. I broke the cycle. My wife did as well.
Now I have several ground rules.
1. 1 year expendetures in savings at all times no exceptions. (60 k cash) + emergency fund (10K)
2. Credit card with less than a 10% intrest rate and the balance must be payed off within 30 days. I only use it on rare occasions.
3. Cars will cost no more than 10k dollars and must be paid for in cash. There is never a good reason to buy a car worth more than 10k.
4. Any toys will be bought with cash. No financing.
5. 10% 401k
6. 10% to index funds and other investments.
7. Pay of debts anytime I get a tax refund or money that wasn't originally bugeted for.
When I put these simple rules in place it was tough but 4 years later I stopped working 50-60 hours a week because I had a good level of comfort. And I never missed the keeping up with the jones game. Now I am fine with working only 30 hours a week. Sometimes my work forces me to go places because there is no one else and the company would lose money if I don't go so I gladly do. But more often than not I turn down big high dollar jobs because I have money in savings and no debt other than a house so I don't feel pressured to work.
I think a lot of professionals (and non professionals as well) are turning to a more minimalistic life style that dosen't require as much work or as high of paycheck. Now so much can be done on a computer or in the comfort of your own home that you don't have to spend as much money as you used to. Also there are a lot of high wage earners who belive in the FIRE movement.
It can be summed up like this:
more stuff acquired > requires more money > which requires more work.
less/cheaper stuff acquired > requires less money> which requires less work.
Also, Work just sucks.
1. Your not garunteed your job will be there next year, there is no loyalty from the employer. Most workers have to nervously watch the stock price of their company or look for news that some vc firm is going to buy the company and install draconian workplace rules or just shut the whole thing down together.
2. Benefits get worse every year. Pensions have been gutted. Medical Insurance gets worse and costs more every year. Stock or share plans keep being revamped to benifit the company.
3. More and more regulations regarding PPE and workplace safety because companies are so afraid of lawsuits. I worked for a company that would not let you drive your own car to go to a workplace mandated appointment.
4. Companies constantly change the metric of success to get more production for the same cost with less people.
5. Most employees don't get raises that keep up with inflation. People have realized what a bad deal being salaried is. Once you work out the dollar/hour equivilent you find it's pretty low pay.
6. CEOs get huge bailouts even when the company performs poorly. Wall Street and the financial industries have ruined the american work place. 20,000 people lost jobs,but the CEO gets rewarded because he pumped the stock price before it too fell of a cliff. Dennis Muilenburg, Bill McGuire, Lee Raymond, Jack Welch, the list goes on and on. When employees are fired for a minor offense they don't even get unemployment.
7. If you are in a service industry, the customers are rude and dumb and act like elitist snots if you displease them in anyway. In the service industry they keep hours low so they don't have to pay benefits. Which is in my opinion is unethical.
Work schedules are all over the place because they try to keep hours to a minimum. So you could work 8-5 monday then 12-9PM the next day then need to be in at 6AM the next. Then you could go 3 or 4 days with out working. Because of low hours and not wanting to give benefits the paycheks are low $4-500 if that, The average apartment is now 700 dollars/mo., how can you live on that. It's ridiculous how bad this country treats service industry workers.
So I think it is easy to understand why "work ethic" is dying in this country.
It's gotten to the point where if you can find a way to work less you are seen as more successful.
I think that you are wrong to attribute your observations to rising housing costs. Here's why.
1. If they own their own house, then quite likely their overall housing costs didn't increase at all. The biggest housing costs are mortgage payments, real estate taxes, and utilities. The first two won't change at all whether you're working or unemployed. The last one, utilities, may increase very slightly if you're staying home all the time, but that slight increase would be more than offset by the fact that you'll save on transportation costs from not having to drive to and from work 5 days per week. This is a HUGE savings for most people.
2. If they RENT their house/apartment, very few landlords have increased rents in the past year. Most landlords would be extremely happy if the tenants simply paid the rent that they agreed to pay. Many tenants have been paying ZERO rent because our stupid government said that they couldn't be evicted due to the pandemic. Consequently, many tenants simply stopped paying rent altogether.
So, I don't think that housings costs has much of anything to do with the situation that many jobless people find themselves in today.
In any case, the situation is DIFFERENT now. Employers are expecting too much, as if their workers were frozen in carbonite and all they have to do is say the word and they'll materialize the same way they were before. Eviction moratorium or not, many of the laid of workers at my workplace waited a few months, but when physical operations were closed one month after another, they considered that the situation with their old job was over, and they moved on. They weren't just going to hold a candle all this time like Mr. Darcy for Elizabeth Bennett. Why would they wait 16 months to work?
Again, I think the assumption that people are lazy is just wrong. It's as if a girl had a relationship with a guy and that he was okay but didn't treat her all that well. Then he said he wanted to take a break. Well, she waited and waited and he wasn't ready to commit. A year later suddenly he wants her back, and what do you know she has another boyfriend.
And yes housing is part of it, because they left, given they increase they are not coming back.
Last edited by redguard57; 05-18-2021 at 06:06 PM..
I can recall Meat Packing being a well paid UNION JOB. It supported a living wage for middle class workers and their families. The employers crushed the unions and brought in illegals to work below union scale. Perhaps they need to unionize.
So then the meat packing plants would shut down for lack of workers?
A stupid wall will not do anything. Prosecute the employers if you want to do something about illegals. As I've said many times on this subject - look at how Russia handles it. Try to get a job in Russia as a foreigner. See what happens to both you, and the business that employs you.
If your stats about Covid and injuries are accurate you facility is doing something different than the industry as a whole. Injuries are not uncommon and covid exploded in a number of processing plants over the last year and change
We did do something different. We spread out the workspaces before being told to and put up separators on the line. We separated shifts and areas for people to congregate. We kept segregations on deliveries. Took temps upon entry. Got people vaccine appointments. Explaining why as we went.
At the end of the day, we care about one another. That portion can't be forced by an outside party. We also sell very premium product...and there's pride in the work on the floor.
If all places were like us, meat would be rare for the lower half of the middle class, but it does allow us to bring about a better product and treat our workers better.
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