If there is real competitiveness, a company that suffers shortages of an input (workers in this case), would see an increase in price and a fall in profits. Did your friend mentioned profits in the conversation?
Because I'm seeing a lot of this discussions where not even profits is mentioned. Including the article we are discussing by the way, where the word 'profits' doesn't appear.
I'm just saying that is surprising how is not even discussed, like if it was not a factor in what we are talking about.
It's also possible that certain businesses and products we've grown accustomed to, at the prices we are used to, are simply not viable anymore as the market changes.
The market giveth and the market taketh away. A lot of business owners complaining about a "labor shortage" love being pro free market when it works in their favor, but whine when it turns around on them.
Nail on the head, right here. "Burger flippers" are entitled if they expect to live off their work, but when no "Burger flippers" will come work for them, oh woe is me.
They'll preach about survival of the fittest until they figure out they're not the fittest, and then suddenly its not such a good idea
Why we feel the need to treat businesses better than we treat other people is beyond me.
Employee's have no right to an employer: Absolutely fine, no issues there, the way things should be
Employers have no right to an employee: Blasphemy! What a cruel, terrible world we live in
Not once, ever, have the oil speculators thought the prices were too high and yanked them back down.
(Not only does one not want to take delivery of a commodity unless you are actually using it, but I think crude oil gives off hydrogen sulfide, which is poisonous in small quantities, making storage even more problematic)
I reiterate that not once ever have gas/oil speculators lowered prices because they went too high, but they damn sure froze prices when they thought they were dipping too low.
I seem to remember people saying back when it 'dipped too low' (speculators'/tycoons' words) that they most certainly would retard prices if they went too high. They pinky-double-scouts'-honor swore.
Never happened. Especially scummy because oil prices affect everything.
I believe it was late 90s, the last time gas dipped to $1/gal and below. It didnt last but a few days but to hear the oil companies cry it was the end of times and they were going bankrupt.
As an aside has anyone seen the Dubai videos of the children of these tycoons getting bored and racing/flipping/destroying $500k+ cars? If not search Saudi super car stunts/flips/races/wheelies/crashes/whatever.
Obviously oil prices are priced accurately and the companies/families that own them are making the slimmest of margins, we should cut them slack- oh wait, that's every business now.
I hate what humanity has become.
For those with low skills, this can mean unemployment, even permanent one.
I think that a lot of the "worker shortage" is in fact companies being unwilling to understand that they are being outcompeted in the market, someone is able to make that 100 dollar product less costly and thus can attract more workers, or alternatively workers/resources cost less abroad.