May’s jobs report shows signs of labor-market acceleration, but it’s also clear that people are still sitting on the sidelines. The United States added 559,000 jobs in May, below the 671,000 forecast. This follows the disastrous April jobs report that added 266,000 jobs after economists predicted 1 million. Even with a record of more than 8.12 million open jobs, unemployment remains at 5.8%.
The size of the labor force has declined, and it’s clear we still have a labor shortage. Is it possible some people just don’t want to go back to work? After all, millions are making more money collecting an extra $300 each week in federally enhanced unemployment benefits. Others point to childcare challenges and fears of the virus for not returning to their jobs, despite schools and daycares reopening and about 50% of U.S. adults being at least halfway vaccinated.
Meanwhile, nearly half of millennials and Gen Z workers say they will consider quitting if they have to return to their office simply because they prefer the flex hours. This should concern us. Fifty-four percent say they would become internet influencers given the opportunity.
The pandemic gave working people the opportunity to reevaluate their priorities, but this labor crisis is about a lot more than a paycheck. We are teaching the next generation of the workforce that if you can’t find the perfect job, say an influencer or a TikTok star, you’re better off sitting at home. And we are teaching this by example.
Right now, children are watching their parents turn down $25-30 per hour jobs, many of which do not require any prerequisite skills, to collect unemployment benefits instead. They are spending their days in pajamas on the couch rather than getting up, getting dressed, and going to work.
The pandemic gave working people the opportunity to reevaluate their priorities, but this labor crisis is about a lot more than a paycheck. We are teaching the next generation of the workforce that if you can’t find the perfect job, say an influencer or a TikTok star, you’re better off sitting at home. And we are teaching this by example.
Right now, children are watching their parents turn down $25-30 per hour jobs, many of which do not require any prerequisite skills, to collect unemployment benefits instead. They are spending their days in pajamas on the couch rather than getting up, getting dressed, and going to work.
A young man we worked with, Sebastien, says his “life was changed” after getting a job with RAMS RPG as a low-voltage technician. He had moved to Cape Coral, Florida, and at first struggled to find a job, but our organization was able to help. Two years later, he has worked his way into a management position, has a company car, and feels financially secure enough to get married and start a family.
These are not dream jobs. Sebastien and Tyshay didn’t take these entry-level positions for the wages, nor did they receive generous signing bonuses like many of those being offered in the pandemic recovery. They took these jobs because they had something more to offer this world, and they wanted to create structure in their lives and invest in their own potential.
This is the lesson we should be teaching our children — that everyone has a gift they can share with the world. That it’s better to earn the check than collect it, because you’ll hold your head a little bit higher. That you can move up the ladder, but you have to start somewhere, even if that starting place isn’t very pretty. Or maybe better yet, we can take our own advice and get back out there ourselves.
This piece originally appeared at the Washington Examiner
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Megan Rose is the CEO of Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping children out of foster care by strengthening families through work and relational support. She’s also a 2020-21 Civil Society Fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
This piece originally appeared in Washington Examiner