I don’t know if I would use ‘underestimated’ – I think the better word would be ‘unexpected’ or even ‘positive’.

A lot of employees decided they didn’t need to put up with shitty hourly jobs, or long commutes, or horrible bosses. Covid and forced non-working gave them a lot of time to think about it, and their situations, and let employees make a decision about their own quality of life (and tolerance for bullshit).

Another thing to factor in:

Why is the US so low on hourly, low level employees? – Fast food, cleaning, construction?

Thank Trump for that – by reducing the number of worker visas for low level employees, and by cracking down on the borders with his idiotic fence – fewer people are coming into the US to work for low wages. That’s another reason why there are millions of unfilled jobs.

Of course, that plays into the strength of the average laborer today – fewer jobs going to undocumented people means greater demand for workers already in the US – meaning more power for workers than for employers.

Another failed Trump poilicy.

Well, actually that was a major goal of the great pumpkin who surmised correctly that immigrant labor depressed wages. Most Americans in the furor of the controversy of the Trump years over the border, missed the absence of a major and very powerful conservative voice from that build the wall, keep em out rhetoric. You won’t catch the U.S. chamber of commerce pushing restrictions on immigrant labor or toughening up our borders.

I’d have to see the numbers but I think most people kept their jobs due to uncertainty. So the reality for most of us (minus actual stats) is that nothing xhanged and wages are still depresses as Covid cut into the bottom line, generally-speaking. With inflation, more cuts were made and still no raises.

@elbanditoroso
I didn’t fully grasp the concept until I did some electrical contracting in the middle of nowhere….

There are probably thousands of factories across this country that are 95% hispanic people.

Edit: Hispanic/Latin/South American etc.

@KNOWITALL I think it depends on the specific industry.

Hotels lost low-wage workers by the ton. They’re still suffering.

Restaurants lost a lot of people, but that’s slowly improving.

Agriculture / crop picking (at least here in georgia) employment way down because of fewer immigrants.

Construction trades – was way down, getting better because contractors raised pay significantly.

Fast food – way down.

Office jobs largely kept people.

@elbanditoroso I’m sure. Corporate had more quiet layoffs and no raises. Stockholders still need a profit regardless of Covid or inflation, so employees are always screwed.

@elbanditoroso and @KNOWITALL Some thoughts about hotels, the hotels laid off a lot of people, because hospitality was hit so hard with covid. I think the hotels learned they can do without some services and are trying to recoup or make more profit now with less services. I think they’ll continue to gauge customer response and make decisions accordingly. Example: some people are really annoyed housekeeping isn’t cleaning every day and some people are fine with it or even happy about it. I think it’s a combination of hotels purposely trimming this service and also fewer immigrants here to do the jobs. Depends on the city, some parts of the US those jobs are done by mostly new immigrants, but that’s not always the case.

I do think eventually we will need to import people for some industries if our current residents and citizens don’t start taking some of the jobs that are open right now.

As far as pay. I know a couple of people who work for $12 – $14 an hour who recently received $2 increases (or close to it) which is a lot at that wage level. Florida is currently raising minimum wage $1 a year until $15 in year 2026, but both people are making more than the current minimum now.

Fast food I think will get more and more automated. Even “full service” restaurants will get more automated.

I too believe that the “screw it” attitude is most prevalent in bottom rung jobs, fast food workers, hotel employees, sales floor and counter jobs, and of course farm work.

“ful lot of people the chance to evaluate the merits in slaving for pennies.”
True as in a National Park that depends on Tourism and its employees to survive has hit a roadblock as NO staff to take on sales,cafe.Restaurants, ticket clerks etc..no one will take on those jobs thus Business owners here have either closed down permanently or have their own realtives working long hours instead.
A bad Caveat of this is that with wealthy Homeowners of huge homes that they rent rooms to their staff ( now nonexistant) have upped their rents to unbelievable rates now that the Piple Line Crews are comming into Town for the Long haul and thus will pay these overpriced housing ( renting rooms) easily.

Those greedy ( some) have cut off their supply of cheap labour as many left abruptly after rent increases. ( they left Town) .

Here in the NY Metro area there are coffee shops and restaurants that had to reduce their opening hours because they’re short staffed and just can’t find people, so they have to open later or close earlier.