Aftermath of Covid

[Digger]

Sure it’s still alive and well but life has returned pretty much to normal and the draconian restrictions we had are finished for now. Some things haven’t come back though, international tourism is one casualty and travellers on working visas particularly. Melbourne usually a vibrant city is quiet as many workers have continued to chose to work from home rather than the office. The thousands of businesses that require a busy city are foundering without the patronage!

We are unable to fill many thousands of job vacancies, people just aren’t applying. We need 90.000 Baristas (coffee makers) in ths state alone. Restaurants and cafes are closing because they cant get staff! Some are offering a $5,000 start up bonus they are that desperate.

People have been moving out of the metroplitan areas that were under harsh lockdown and moving to regional areas and prices have skyrocketed in our area alone.

Used vehicles are selling in some cases for more than they were new and new cars are sometimes 12 months or more in coming. This reflects shortages of workers worldwide I presume?

Conflict in Europe isn’t helping.

Crazy times!

What about where you are?

 

[AJ6stringsting]

My area has been elevated to Red status, which means the infection rate is high.

Too many idiots due to political leaning and ignorance, are not willing to recieve the vaccination.

 

[Otto99]

That sounds about right. I can sell my Element for more than I bought it for, but they’re also enjoying a cult revival, so their value has gone up. Our numbers are also slowly rising again, but for now, the state isn’t mandating anything. <EDIT> I stand corrected. Our latest numbers show a 111% increase over the last week.

Now, stateside we also have to deal with slack jawed individuals who are convinced that the reason people are not working is because of a fat government check every month. I never engage idiocy in public, but in this instance, I had to. This woman was complaining about no one working the checkout at a nearby market, and I said, well, we told these people if they wanted more money, go look for a better job, so they did, and now you’re mad at them. That’s when she swelled up like a toad and announced it was because of unemployment checks, something that was a factor two years ago, but I told her in no uncertain terms that program was long gone, and thank God for it, else I’d be homeless. I then pointed out that Tennessee’s maximum benefit is $273 a week. No one is staying away from work for $273 a week.

 

[Digger]

My area has been elevated to Red status, which means the infection rate is high.

Too many idiots due to political leaning and ignorance, are not willing to recieve the vaccination.

I worry about the stupidity of far too many people in the world these days. No wonder the place is in such a mess !

That sounds about right. I can sell my Element for more than I bought it for, but they’re also enjoying a cult revival, so their value has gone up. Our numbers are also slowly rising again, but for now, the state isn’t mandating anything. <EDIT> I stand corrected. Our latest numbers show a 111% increase over the last week.

Now, stateside we also have to deal with slack jawed individuals who are convinced that the reason people are not working is because of a fat government check every month. I never engage idiocy in public, but in this instance, I had to. This woman was complaining about no one working the checkout at a nearby market, and I said, well, we told these people if they wanted more money, go look for a better job, so they did, and now you’re mad at them. That’s when she swelled up like a toad and announced it was because of unemployment checks, something that was a factor two years ago, but I told her in no uncertain terms that program was long gone, and thank God for it, else I’d be homeless. I then pointed out that Tennessee’s maximum benefit is $273 a week. No one is staying away from work for $273 a week.

I admit to not understanding the drivers for some of these things and this thread was an attempot to get more information to try and understand whats going on.

 

[Darkness]

California is a perpetual mess.

In my case the mortgage industry is hitting massive "reductions in force" because the interest rate just jumped and since there are so many covid modifications still kicking there isn't yet a full return to the liquidation rate of 2019. Read that as no new money coming in and no returns on debt, so thousands being laid off. Those lucky enough to keep their jobs won't get any raise or bonus for the next year or so at least, and live in daily fear of being cut. Don't work harder for a reward, work harder just to stay, because the work those who were laid off did is now yours to do.

Restaurants are struggling. With the inflated cost of living here minimum wage or less doesn't cut it, so they're all understaffed and paying more for supplies.

Grocery store prices are all up. The coffee I buy was 3.49 a can, now 5.99 a can. Other items are pretty close in rise by percentage.

Gas is up to 6.50 per gallon for the cheap 87 octane, diesel is more like 7.50. Not as high as Europe but we don't have the public transport options that Europe and other countries have, so we are feeling it.
Travel is almost back to normal. My wife and I went to Greece and Norway last month. Aside from having to get tested to hit Greece and again to come home, it wasn't really different. The free drinks and snacks were limited, before I could drink beer the whole flight for free and now they charge for anything other than coffee or tea (water has a cost).

 

[Digger]

California is a perpetual mess.

In my case the mortgage industry is hitting massive "reductions in force" because the interest rate just jumped and since there are so many covid modifications still kicking there isn't yet a full return to the liquidation rate of 2019. Read that as no new money coming in and no returns on debt, so thousands being laid off. Those lucky enough to keep their jobs won't get any raise or bonus for the next year or so at least, and live in daily fear of being cut. Don't work harder for a reward, work harder just to stay, because the work those who were laid off did is now yours to do.

Restaurants are struggling. With the inflated cost of living here minimum wage or less doesn't cut it, so they're all understaffed and paying more for supplies.

Grocery store prices are all up. The coffee I buy was 3.49 a can, now 5.99 a can. Other items are pretty close in rise by percentage.

Gas is up to 6.50 per gallon for the cheap 87 octane, diesel is more like 7.50. Not as high as Europe but we don't have the public transport options that Europe and other countries have, so we are feeling it.
Travel is almost back to normal. My wife and I went to Greece and Norway last month. Aside from having to get tested to hit Greece and again to come home, it wasn't really different. The free drinks and snacks were limited, before I could drink beer the whole flight for free and now they charge for anything other than coffee or tea (water has a cost).

You get nothing free on the flights here these days if in economy. May as well pack a sandwich or two! It’s costing about $130 to fill either vehicle ATM and it doesn’t seem like that far back it was less than $40.

The war in Ukraine is going to have wider ramifications as time goes on unfortunately as Russia produces a sizeable percentage of diesel and it doesn’t take much reduction to see prices rising, just as is happening now and that feeds into every product and service eventually. Not a problem for Mr Putin as price rises has seen his fuel income rise to 1 billion a day and that pays for quite a few bombs and bullets. More of a problem long term is the disruption to food supplies worldwideis huge as Ukraine traditionally ships by sea and nothing is moving in the Black Sea apart from miltary shipping. Ukraine's is often referred to as the "Breadbasket” of Europe. Russia makes 90% of the export fertiliser they say and disruption to the production and distribution is likely to see prices of food go up enormously workdwide, or cease to be available. Grains especially. Starvation in some places is a real liklihood, especially in China.

We’ve been considering an overseas trip too but feel that things are a little too unsettled for us old farts to take the risk.

 

[Lancpudn]

Our local; town centre resembles a ghost town with lots of shops that never opened again after the restrictions, I still see a few people wearing masks in the supermarket but all restrictions have been lifted.

It's more or less the same with cars here, Wait times on most new cars are huge with MG motors stopping taking orders for new cars as the wait times are around 9-12 months.
Well you know the stupid price we pay for petrol/diesel/energy here £1.73/litre for standard petrol £1.84/litre for premium grade & it's about to get a lot worse as the EU are going to slap more sanctions on Russian oil/fuel/gas imports by 90%, The UK gets a huge amount of oil/fuel/gas imports from them & it's already sent the price of oil skyrocketing
Electric cars are in big demand here & the used prices for them have gone through the roof.
Even Fiat UK have just announced they're removing from sale all non electric cars from their UK dealerships on the 1st of July & from that date on only selling cars with a plug

 

[BGood]

Most of what is mentioned above you will find worldwide.

Why is there a shortage of workers ? Because people learned that their freedom is more important than anything. Some don't have a clue of the meaning of the word (freedom), but those who do, don't want to kill themselves at bad jobs anymore. They tasted what time to themselves is. They saw the world in a way they never did before. They want no more slavish work, no more long hours and long weeks. Better salaries and working conditions. And respect I guess.

That's my understanding of the situation.

 

[Otto99]

We‘ve seen an increase in people vending at markets and festivals lately, as more people have developed their side gig into a living.

 

[Lancpudn]

Trying to get HGV drivers for all classes is a real struggle here since Brexit, there are around 100k heavy goods vehicle driver shortages at present, The government are going to launch a "windfall tax" scheme on haulage companies to pay for driver traing & infrastructure. https://www.commercialfleet.org/new...old-to-fix-driver-issues-or-face-larger-taxes

 

[AJ6stringsting]

California is a perpetual mess.

In my case the mortgage industry is hitting massive "reductions in force" because the interest rate just jumped and since there are so many covid modifications still kicking there isn't yet a full return to the liquidation rate of 2019. Read that as no new money coming in and no returns on debt, so thousands being laid off. Those lucky enough to keep their jobs won't get any raise or bonus for the next year or so at least, and live in daily fear of being cut. Don't work harder for a reward, work harder just to stay, because the work those who were laid off did is now yours to do.

Restaurants are struggling. With the inflated cost of living here minimum wage or less doesn't cut it, so they're all understaffed and paying more for supplies.

Grocery store prices are all up. The coffee I buy was 3.49 a can, now 5.99 a can. Other items are pretty close in rise by percentage.

Gas is up to 6.50 per gallon for the cheap 87 octane, diesel is more like 7.50. Not as high as Europe but we don't have the public transport options that Europe and other countries have, so we are feeling it.
Travel is almost back to normal. My wife and I went to Greece and Norway last month. Aside from having to get tested to hit Greece and again to come home, it wasn't really different. The free drinks and snacks were limited, before I could drink beer the whole flight for free and now they charge for anything other than coffee or tea (water has a cost).

The South and the Midwest has many folks, who are paralyzed from the neck up, due to their beliefs and many are dying for their beliefs.
Believe it or not, Central California has the same intellectuall impediments as the South and Midwest .... and it shows.
Hospitals are filling up again.

They remind me of those Do Do birds who were playing Football and all fell down the cliff, in that movie Ice Age.

One guy was telling me that Lizard People are behind everything, the Pandemic, economic upheavals and had tracking devices put in the vaccines to track everyone .

Seems like Darwin was correct .

 

[Otto99]

@AJ6stringsting, ah, but that begs the question, which lizard people? Top or bottom?

 

[BGood]

Wasn't that a pornstar, Liz Hard ?

 

[Davis Sharp]

Trying to get HGV drivers for all classes is a real struggle here since Brexit, there are around 100k heavy goods vehicle driver shortages at present, The government are going to launch a "windfall tax" scheme on haulage companies to pay for driver traing & infrastructure. https://www.commercialfleet.org/new...old-to-fix-driver-issues-or-face-larger-taxes

There's a truck driver shortage in the US too.

 

[BGood]

There's a truck driver shortage in the US too.

Everywhere, one reason for the lack of parts for everything.

 

[Darkness]

I took a trip out of the country recently and my flight put of LA was canceled. They claimed it was a maintenance issue.

They gave me cab fare and a hotel for the night. The cab told me that airlines are doing that because they can't find enough pilots and attendants. I thought that was funny.

2 days later when I finally got an outbound flight, I got the seat facing the attendant (in her little drop chair). I was chatting with her and she said that they're struggling to get attendants and they cancel flights if they don't have enough to cover a trip. This was a big airline too.

I guess the cab was right.

 

[Whitefang]

That doesn't sound like too bad of a job. Can't figure why the shortage.

Whitefang

 

[Digger]

During the Covid lockdowns a lot of pilots were stood down for obvioua reasons here. Many made a career change by necessity and haven’t returned.

 

[AJ6stringsting]

That doesn't sound like too bad of a job. Can't figure why the shortage.

Whitefang

Here in the US, it's just a matter of frustration .... dead end jobs, low pay, mistreatment, nepotism, corporate greed, hostile work environments and many other factors.

Minimum Wage, back in the 1980's ( from 1981 to 1993 ) in many parts of the US, was stuck at $ 3.35 an hour, especially in the South, Midwest and Cental California .

Today, in many parts of the US, minimum wage is only $7.28 to $ 8.00 an hour .

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In California, minimum wage is $15.00 an hour.
This inflation calculator posted above, will help answer your question about why there is an employee shortage.
In today's US Dollars, $ 3.35 today is a measly $ 11.28 today.
In order to stay above water in America, you need to make $ 16.00 or more an hour, to at least be one pay check from being evicted.

 

[Whitefang]

Well, you don't have to tell ME about life in the U.S. as I've lived here since my birth in 1951.

But was implying that regardless of pay, a flight attendant's pay rate can't be so inadequate as to not be able to find someone willing to take it on. IF they pass "muster" that is. But not really knowing what that pay rate is I'm only guessing. Plus too, it may not have a thing to do with pay as it might more be a case of the recent abuses, verbally and physically flight attendants have been subject to by idiot passengers refusing to do something so simple as obeying airline rules of policy regarding face masks for Covid protection. You know, people are going to have to wise up to the fact that any and all federal Covid "incentive" programs( like foreclosure protection, which is temporary, or even the financial assistance, also temporary) won't be around forever and they're going to need to work for a living. And NOT rely on one political party or the other to give them a "golden pillow" to land on in the form of promises they, once elected, can't or won't even bother to try keeping.

Whitefang