If EMTs were so hard to find, they would be paid more money. In Massachusetts it’s significantly less training and requirements to be an EMT than a hair stylist (for whatever government-regulated reason).

McDonalds and Walmart jobs are often valued less by people (such as yourself) who see them as some sort of hell-on-earth so the wage reflects the value to the organization and what has to be paid to keep competent people there. McDonalds has created more Latino millionaires than any other company on earth, and I enjoy their food once in a while. I don’t denigrate people who work there. Maybe you should try and see that workers at all jobs have value and don’t hate their lives despite people poo-pooing their careers.

Here is an EconTalk podcast about what working at Walmart is actually like. It may be illuminating to the HN crowd https://www.econtalk.org/platt-on-working-at-wal-mart/