Is Any Job Better Than No Job?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal stated that although many companies are hiring, not many people are actually applying for jobs. The article seems to take the view that our nation's workforce, especially the long time unemployed, have become lazy and not interested in working whatever job is available. They present the argument that perhaps the reason is that many people would rather collect unemployment benefits and go through the motions of looking for a job. According to the article,

"Since the economy bottomed out in mid-2009, the number of job openings has risen more than twice as fast as actual hires, a gap that didn't appear until much later in the last recovery. The disparity is most notable in manufacturing, which has had among the biggest increases in openings. But it is also appearing in other areas, such as business services, education and health care"

They present several examples of companies that are having difficulty finding people to fill their job openings. One being Mechanical Devices in IL. The manufacturing company needs to hire at least 40 people, and is having trouble find people who are willing to apply. The article went on to explain their situation

"At Mechanical Devices, which supplies parts for earthmovers and other heavy equipment to manufacturers such as Caterpillar Inc., part owner Mark Sperry says he has been looking for $13-an-hour machinists since early this year. The lack of workers is "the key limitation to the growth of our business and to meeting our customers' expectations," says Mr. Sperry. He estimates the company could immediately boost sales by as much as 20% if it could find the 40 workers it needs.

Trips to several job fairs yielded almost nothing, so the company set up a 10-week training program to create its own machinists. Out of the first group of 24 trainees, 16 made it to graduation"

The other examples cited in the article were a truck stop that can't find waitstaff and a company that is looking for people with a high school diploma who are interested in working in Dubai for $30,000 a year. Sure you have to move your family to the middle east, but it's a job.

So, is the problem that American's are lazy and not willing to work a 40 hour week? I don't think so. I think the issue is more about the fact that the company is looking for high quality people to work on the line for $13 an hour. This position requires specialized skills, and you have to complete a 10 week training course. Also, due to the location of the factory, for most people it requires a fairly long commute. If you were receiving $450 a week in unemployment benefits, taking a job that pays almost $500, but requires an hour long commute, you would end up making less than you did by staying unemployed and looking for a job that would better support your family.

I think that the issue is that employers need to step up to the plate and offer potential employees a living wage before they are going to see record numbers flocking to their openings. I realize that in this job market, unemployed people should be willing to take any job they can get, and in some cases that makes sense. If you were making $70,000 before, and find a job that pays $50,000, then it makes sense to cut back your lifestyle and try to make it work. But when you have been making $30,000 a year and have to take an $8 an hour job, it becomes harder to cut back and ends up forcing you to decide which days your kids are going to be able to eat.

So, maybe employers also need to realize that the workforce isn't apathetic, they just want to be able to feed their family. And if you are offering a job that requires moving across the world or even a long commute, you may have to sweeten the offer.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a freelance writer and regular contributor to several websites and other publications, a volunteer, a full time mom and an active job seeker.