Is Unemployment Programs Making it Hard for me to Hire?

[its phillip]

If you know any good programmers or graphics people our company needs some quality folks. Most of the resumes we've gotten are sad. One candidate didn't put their full name on it. Another put their location as Texas. I wonder if some folks are just trolling us.

Unfortunately I don't know any programmers or graphics people. We're all a bunch of customer service or clerical type folks

 

[lsiberian]

Unfortunately I don't know any programmers or graphics people. We're all a bunch of customer service or clerical type folks

I'll let you know if anything opens up.

 

[Adam]

I think the main problem is you pretty much can't live a productive life for 24,000 dollars a year.

$12.50 an hour is a piss poor wage, no matter how you slice it. You really can't live on your own, drive a car, perhaps pay a student loan, eat actual food, pay your bills and gas with $12.50.

I disagree. You can, at least where I live. You won't be living large, but you won't need to scrounge through garbage to survive.

I wouldn't want to live in a dump and go to a manual labour job 40 hours a week only to scrape by every month with nothing to show for it. When you don't have to do anything for the same situation you don't feel so bad.

Yeah, but you should - because someone else is going to work to pay for you to sit around and do nothing. That's what ticks me off - people who feel entitled to have someone else work hard so that they don't have to. If someone wants me to pay for their food, shelter, toys, and gas...then they better d**n well be my kids. Just sayin'.

 

[Alex2507]

If someone wants me to pay for their food, shelter, toys, and gas...then they better d**n well be my kids. Just sayin'.

In order for that to happen you are going to have to stop sleeping with men.

I guess we stopped looking at unemployment insurance as insurance that get's paid for. The business with the extensions came about because of a terrible job market and not because somebody was trying to make Adam pay for anybody's food, shelter,toys and gas. I'm not sure how the numbers stack up but consider that the entire nation contributes to an unemployment fund that roughly 10% of the people are drawing on at any given time. Those 10% also contributed to that fund and will contribute to it again. Not for nothin' but I would rather be administering that fund than receiving from it. Let's not forget which side the real thieves are on.

Another thing to consider is that, again using rough figures, if you make a $1,000/wk and get laid off, the weekly pay out drops to say $500/wk. In order to maintain the status quo you need to get back to work making $1,000/wk so that you can collect the $500 next time you are laid off. Chasing down a $500/wk job while you are collecting $500/wk would result in collecting $250/wk the next time you are unemployed.

Still it is hard to understand that you have trouble finding somebody to answer phones for $12.50/hr while the fast food joints paying presumably minimum wage are fully staffed but in Canada that's not enough money to keep you in smokes and beer ... why are Canadians even in this discussion?

 

[GO-NAD!]

I think the main problem is you pretty much can't live a productive life for 24,000 dollars a year.

I wouldn't want to live in a dump and go to a manual labour job 40 hours a week only to scrape by every month with nothing to show for it. When you don't have to do anything for the same situation you don't feel so bad.

$12.50 an hour is a piss poor wage, no matter how you slice it. You really can't live on your own, drive a car, perhaps pay a student loan, eat actual food, pay your bills and gas with $12.50.



When I moved out to Moncton N.B. in June of last year I didn't know that the provincial government wanted to rape me at every opportunity. I'm not surprised people out here take advantage of unemployment. If I could milk the system as badly as it hurts workers like myself I would. For example, the cost of living out here is higher than I was paying in Guelph Ontario, and is higher than my sister pays in Toronto. Luckily I have a job that pays decent enough for what I do. I honestly don't know how anyone making less than 15 dollars an hour lives out here.

I make a pretty good wage, so my family is doing well. We also live within our means, so we don't have debt hanging over us. Anyone making minimum wage out here would have to live in a hovel, or have a couple of roomates, just to stay alive. The problem here, is that with a relatively low population, economies of scale just aren't there. So, taxes are high and prices are high.

Whimsies of fate can have huge long term impacts on how well a regional economy does. For example, both RBC and BNS started in Halifax. They both eventually shifted there head offices to Toronto. What if they had remained here? Halifax could've been the financial hub of Canada instead of Toronto. If Alberta didn't have the good fortune of sitting on top of a lot of dead dinosaurs, they'd still just be a bunch of cow-herders. NTTAWWT

As for $12.50/hr? Well, many businesses couldn't afford to pay more than that. It also has a snowball effect. If they were to pay more for entry level work, there would be pressure to pay more to the higher skilled and more experienced workers.

Should the government force people to accept work, or lose their benefits? Maybe. Such a policy might also put downward pressure on wages. If businesses know that people will be forced to accept jobs or have their benefits cut, there would be an incentive to cut wages. It's certainly not a black and white situation.

 

[GO-NAD!]

$12.50 an hour is a piss poor wage, no matter how you slice it. You really can't live on your own, drive a car, perhaps pay a student loan, eat actual food, pay your bills and gas with $12.50.

I disagree. You can, at least where I live. You won't be living large, but you won't need to scrounge through garbage to survive.

Yeah, but you could live in a tent where you live and survive. Wouldn't be quite as comfy up here. At $12.50/hr, it's live with your parents, or get roomates. It's as simple as that. It's certainly incentive to improve your skills...

 

[GO-NAD!]

In order for that to happen you are going to have to stop sleeping with men.

I guess we stopped looking at unemployment insurance as insurance that get's paid for. The business with the extensions came about because of a terrible job market and not because somebody was trying to make Adam pay for anybody's food, shelter,toys and gas. I'm not sure how the numbers stack up but consider that the entire nation contributes to an unemployment fund that roughly 10% of the people are drawing on at any given time. Those 10% also contributed to that fund and will contribute to it again. Not for nothin' but I would rather be administering that fund than receiving from it. Let's not forget which side the real thieves are on.

Another thing to consider is that, again using rough figures, if you make a $1,000/wk and get laid off, the weekly pay out drops to say $500/wk. In order to maintain the status quo you need to get back to work making $1,000/wk so that you can collect the $500 next time you are laid off. Chasing down a $500/wk job while you are collecting $500/wk would result in collecting $250/wk the next time you are unemployed.

Still it is hard to understand that you have trouble finding somebody to answer phones for $12.50/hr while the fast food joints paying presumably minimum wage are fully staffed but in Canada that's not enough money to keep you in smokes and beer ... why are Canadians even in this discussion?

What's with the self-loathing?

The fast food joints are primarily staffed with teenagers living with their parents. The older staff, I assume are too proud to live on welfare.

 

[Lulimet]

You can't really compare the cost of living of Canada to Florida. Cost of living in Canada is outrageous compared to at least half the states of the US.

 

[GO-NAD!]

You can't really compare the cost of living of Canada to Florida. Cost of living in Canada is outrageous compared to at least half the states of the US.

Yeah, on the surface it certainly appears to be. But, we would consider the cost of living in Scandinavian countries to be outrageous. It's an apples and oranges comparison in many respects.

 

[Adam]

The business with the extensions came about because of a terrible job market and not because somebody was trying to make Adam pay for anybody's food, shelter,toys and gas.

Just so everyone understands, I'm not against unemployment insurance - I'm against the freeloaders that were being discussed.

 

[Adam]

Yeah, but you could live in a tent where you live and survive. Wouldn't be quite as comfy up here. At $12.50/hr, it's live with your parents, or get roomates. It's as simple as that. It's certainly incentive to improve your skills...

Lulimet's (and the others who have said it) point is well taken, though - you've got to consider what $12.50 in Sensi's area translates to in your area. Canada, Boston, Oklahoma...wherever.

For example, $12.50 in Tucson is comparible to $16.50 in Providence. Conversely, $12.50 for Alex is like $9.50 for me. Someone could live on that here. Supporting a family would be tough, yes, but a single person wouldn't need to live with his/her parents to survive on that.

 

[psbfan9]

I am an unskilled, uneducated laborer. I started working in factories before I graduated from high school. I have accepted this is my lot in life. I have not accepted that I need to live and act like I am just some poor schmo factory worker though. I made some investments and bought a couple of rental properties.
I have also been out of work for going three years. I had learned a long time ago to live within my means. I do not not have a cell phone or gaming systems, and recently got rid of cable. Being out of work was kind of a good thing because my father's health is bad so I've been able to take care of him. I didn't qualify for unemployment because I was being paid cash for the year before my company closed. Stupid. I know. I was convinced by the owner it would help the company so I, and some others ,took one for the team and got f@#$%d.

Right now, $12.50 an hour is way better than what I'm making now and way better than what I would make in fastfood. Yes, I can live on that. And not in a tent.

Oh, and to my Canadian friends, Tim Hortons FTW!

 

[Alex2507]

Just so everyone understands, I'm not against unemployment insurance - I'm against the freeloaders that were being discussed.

I'm against people insinuating that I should get a job when I can just sit home, make a few posts, piss off some conservatives and rake in various other free sh!t from AH members.

... kidding.

I don't really see people freeloading. Anybody I know would much rather work. Unemployment runs out and work pays more. Never mind the benefits package which includes a generous annuity fund.

 

[GO-NAD!]

I am an unskilled, uneducated laborer. I started working in factories before I graduated from high school. I have accepted this is my lot in life. I have not accepted that I need to live and act like I am just some poor schmo factory worker though. I made some investments and bought a couple of rental properties.
I have also been out of work for going three years. I had learned a long time ago to live within my means. I do not not have a cell phone or gaming systems, and recently got rid of cable. Being out of work was kind of a good thing because my father's health is bad so I've been able to take care of him. I didn't qualify for unemployment because I was being paid cash for the year before my company closed. Stupid. I know. I was convinced by the owner it would help the company so I, and some others ,took one for the team and got f@#$%d.

Right now, $12.50 an hour is way better than what I'm making now and way better than what I would make in fastfood. Yes, I can live on that. And not in a tent.

Oh, and to my Canadian friends, Tim Hortons FTW!

I hope your rental properties are generating enough to get by. Funny that you mention Tim Horton's. A buddy of mine has two daughters who have worked there and although they made minimum wage, the tips pretty much doubled their earnings. If you're in that kinda job, it certainly beats the burger joints!

 

[Shock]

I certainly don't believe that most business' can't afford more than $12.50/hr. I handle the bulk of purchasing for my small little store (1-2 million in sales a year) and we have incredible mark up on everything. Sometimes into the thousands of percent. My parent company is one of the oldest companies in the world.

It's the rich get richer effect, where global corporations who make record profits every year are the ones with the lowest wages. Someone starting at my job with no experience would start around 13 dollars an hour. That's in the trenches doing the work that is brutal on your body, taking all the **** and getting no recognition. I did this for a year before I got the opportunity to progress. I sit in an office for 80% of my day taking phone calls from other multinational corporations who I have to squeeze to even get my money out of. I do not deserve to make more money than someone who actually has to do real work. I do not deserve to make more money than someone just because I have worked at a place for 1 more year than someone as equally skilled as I am. I do not deserve to make more money than someone because the title I now hold says I'm allowed to sit on my *** and answer to no one. My boss at my work is the laziest piece of **** on the planet. He does absolutely nothing to contribute to our store and is gone 95% of the day doing personal stuff. He makes 30% more than I do and double what an extry level employee would make. This is supposed to be an incentive to work? When you start out doing much more than the people above you but make less money? This is how the large employers function. I would argue that he is abusing the system far more than someone on unemployment. He's doing nothing and taking home a legit paycheck.

Is it any wonder the economy is in the shitter when you can't make a wage that makes them feel like an actual person?

So can I blame someone for not wanting to work for pittence more than they would if they were working? Nope.

I know this is a rant, but I know this is how the majority of workers feel. I'm a University educated person, and if I went to the military tomorrow I could be making more money than I do now. It's probably the only employment opportunity that you make what you deserve. It's a ****ing travesty that the rich now pay less tax than ever and the poor aren't allowed to live like people.

Income taxes for high earners aren't nearly high enough in North America and it's a huge reason why we're in such dire straights. The top tier tax bracket in the 50's was over 90%.....and when the economy dropped into the toilet in 2008, 35%. The beginning of the great depression....25%....Looks like we're almost there again.

 

[Adam]

...where global corporations who make record profits every year are the ones with the lowest wages.

Isn't that how they make record profits?

So can I blame someone for not wanting to work for pittence more than they would if they were working? Nope.

I understand it - it's human nature. Well, at least nature of people that are lazy like me. I just don't agree with it - because someone is working to support them. I think that we should have that unemployment safety net becase we are a society after all and should strive to be successful as a whole and not just at an individual level. That same mentality also goes towards having people work when they can, or else they are using a society-based system to keep them from having to support that same society. It's the system that needs to be fixed.

Shock, I hope that you don't think that I'm singling your posts out, as that's not my intention.

 

[Rickster71]

I certainly don't believe that most business' can't afford more than $12.50/hr. I handle the bulk of purchasing for my small little store (1-2 million in sales a year) and we have incredible mark up on everything. Sometimes into the thousands of percent. My parent company is one of the oldest companies in the world.

It's the rich get richer effect, where global corporations who make record profits every year are the ones with the lowest wages. Someone starting at my job with no experience would start around 13 dollars an hour. That's in the trenches doing the work that is brutal on your body, taking all the **** and getting no recognition. I did this for a year before I got the opportunity to progress. I sit in an office for 80% of my day taking phone calls from other multinational corporations who I have to squeeze to even get my money out of. I do not deserve to make more money than someone who actually has to do real work. I do not deserve to make more money than someone just because I have worked at a place for 1 more year than someone as equally skilled as I am. I do not deserve to make more money than someone because the title I now hold says I'm allowed to sit on my *** and answer to no one. My boss at my work is the laziest piece of **** on the planet. He does absolutely nothing to contribute to our store and is gone 95% of the day doing personal stuff. He makes 30% more than I do and double what an extry level employee would make. This is supposed to be an incentive to work? When you start out doing much more than the people above you but make less money? This is how the large employers function. I would argue that he is abusing the system far more than someone on unemployment. He's doing nothing and taking home a legit paycheck.

Is it any wonder the economy is in the shitter when you can't make a wage that makes them feel like an actual person?

So can I blame someone for not wanting to work for pittence more than they would if they were working? Nope.

I know this is a rant, but I know this is how the majority of workers feel. I'm a University educated person, and if I went to the military tomorrow I could be making more money than I do now. It's probably the only employment opportunity that you make what you deserve. It's a ****ing travesty that the rich now pay less tax than ever and the poor aren't allowed to live like people.

Income taxes for high earners aren't nearly high enough in North America and it's a huge reason why we're in such dire straights.

Well, that's certainly an opinion and part of a two sided story.

I sometimes wonder where we'd be if it wasn't for the inventions of some of the Evil Corporations?
Milestones in AT&T History| History| AT&T
We wouldn't be having any conversations that were made possible with the invention of the transistor, or the countless products that it's made possible.
Bell Telephone Laboratories made significant scientific advances including: the transistor, the laser, the solar cell battery, the digital signal processor chip, the Unix operating system and the cellular concept of mobile telephone service. Alcatel-Lucent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Adam]

I do not deserve to make more money than someone who actually has to do real work.

I'm not diminishing manual labor, which I'm guessing is what you're calling "real" work - but wages should be based on perceived value to the company. For example, if what you do brings in business and therefore money, which pays the folks in the trenches - and if there would be no money if you didn't, then I'd say your work is worth more. That's not at all saying that their work isn't worth something.

I do not deserve to make more money than someone just because I have worked at a place for 1 more year than someone as equally skilled as I am.

If "equally skilled" means "equally productive," then I absolutely agree. I'm with you that being somewhere for longer doesn't equate to being worth more. I'm not nitpicking semantics, btw. It's more a note that experience and actual performance play large roles.

 

[lsiberian]

I'm against people insinuating that I should get a job when I can just sit home, make a few posts, piss off some conservatives and rake in various other free sh!t from AH members.

I read that in his post too. I figured you'd go bananas over that. I'm proud of your restraint.

 

[lsiberian]

It's the rich get richer effect, where global corporations who make record profits every year are the ones with the lowest wages. Someone starting at my job with no experience would start around 13 dollars an hour.
Income taxes for high earners aren't nearly high enough in North America and it's a huge reason why we're in such dire straights. The top tier tax bracket in the 50's was over 90%.....and when the economy dropped into the toilet in 2008, 35%. The beginning of the great depression....25%....Looks like we're almost there again.

Do you know where the majority of profits go?

Do you know who owns these corporations?

Punishing the wealthy is not a solution to economic problems. The majority of millionaires are first generation rich, drive used cars, live in reasonable neighborhoods and would be unrecognizable to you. Being wise with your finances should have it's rewards. Living within your means is the first step to wealth. Unfortunately it's not a step most people in our nation are willing to take including Congress.

Taking away money from people with the good sense to manage it and giving it to a government that has proved itself inept in every way is not progress.