December 08, 2017
The NYT article on the November jobs report notes the fact that the rate of wage growth does not appear to be appear accelerating. To explain why it presents the views of Michael Big, a general contractor in the Chicago area.
The piece tells readers that Mr. Big has had to turn away jobs in recent months because he can’t find the needed workers:
“‘Unfortunately we don’t have the labor to take all the projects that are coming in,’ Mr. Big said. His competitors are having the same problem, he added. ‘We’re all grumbling and complaining about the same thing, when we’re not poaching guys from each other.'”
The piece continues:
“Mr. Big’s experience raises a question: If workers are so hard to find, why aren’t companies raising pay? In his case, Mr. Big says that in order to pay more, he would have to charge his customers more, and if he does that, he’ll be outbid by his competitors.”
“‘The labor is there, but they’re not skilled enough for the wages they’re asking,’ Mr. Big said. He said construction workers without special skills were asking $15 an hour, well above the roughly $12 an hour he can afford.”
This presentation of the problem indicates the jobs really are not there. If people like Mr. Big are not prepared to pay enough to attract workers, then they really don’t have jobs to offer.
This is like if I want to see a doctor, but am only willing to pay $25 an hour. I probably would not find any doctors willing to work for that pay. In this case, I don’t really have a job for a doctor, or at least not in an economically meaningful sense. It is no surprise that jobs that offer pay below the market rate are not driving up wages.
Comments