I remember years ago bitching on the phone to a Carvin (located in CA) rep that my guitar was two months past the promised ship date. He said that he was sorry but they were really backed up. I replied "Well, how much overtime are you guys working to get caught up?", and he said "overtime?", liked he never heard the word. For someone who worked OT almost ever week of his life, I was stunned.
Smaller companies may not have the personnel to handle occasional surges in demand, and sometimes people switch jobs and the company is a little short-handed until a replacement can be hired.
Supply and demand. The refineries are not supplying enough to keep up, or there is a kink in the supply line downstream. Truck drivers (and others) have been overworked and underpaid for a long time, and the pandemic is really making people reasses their employment arrangements....
That is a good indicator that the wage for those jobs is low for the requirements the job carries. Supply/demand works both ways....
Did you hear me complaining about working the OT? The companies I worked for had no problem paying their employees time and a half during the week and double time on weekends to keep their customers happy.
For the answer, look at how socialism takes hold in countries historically. When the government gets too big and politicians start telling everyone they know the answers to all the problems if you just give them more power and tax money...when they promise a universal income. Become a student of political world history, as the forefathers of this country did. You'll see these patterns repeated!
I honestly don't think it's anything that complicated or nefarious. People still need to eat and pay rent. They're simply finding other jobs. It's not that these people are lazy and unwilling to work for a paycheck. It's these specific industries that people don't want to work in anymore.
Not if they're sloughing on the Fedgov/taxpayer dime, no.
