r/CuratedTumblr • u/Justthisdudeyaknow Prolific poster- Not a bot, I swear • 1d ago

Infodumping Unskilled does not mean un needed.

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u/Inlerah 1d ago

And then I end up homeless and starving out on the street because I was holding out for a position that doesn't (or nearly doesn't) exist.

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u/ArkLaTexBob 1d ago

Exactly what I was talking about. When I recognized that my skillset was so common and the demand was so low that I could not make the salary I wanted (high schoolfast food worker), I bit the bullet and took an entry level job (A/C helper) that would teach me to make more quickly and maximize summer income. College was not a financial option for me. Then, I worked on getting education/credentials (vo-tech courses) for a job with long-term opportunities (structural/piping drafting and design). As soon as I got established, I moved into a sector (energy) that was high demand and better compensated. Always be aware of your role in the supply/demand matrix and your position. Now, no college degree, but 33 hr weeks, full time bennies, and six figures.

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u/Inlerah 1d ago

So, instead of just making sure everyone gets paid enough to survive, anyone who wants to survive should have to jump through hoops to get the "survivable" jobs and everyone who can't do that (unless you think the jobs that shouldn't pay a living wage just shouldn't exist) deserve poverty?

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u/ArkLaTexBob 1d ago

Not at all. I do believe that I was just offering a single strategy to those who would see it as worthwhile. There are plenty of better strategies for others, I guess. I have not used them and would be out of my wheelhouse to recommend. I know that my way would not be for everyone. I do believe that jobs without a living wage shouldn't exist, but I don't know how to eradicate them. I hear that robotics and AI may address some of them.

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u/CapnFatSparrow 17h ago

I do believe jobs without a living wage shouldn't exist, but I don't know how to eradicate them.

If CEOs, shareholders, and other "executives" weren't so worried about hoarding all the wealth in the entire world, jobs that don't pay a living wage wouldn't exist.

It's really very simple. Lower the salary of all the people making millions of dollars every year and quit handing out multi-million dollar bonuses, and put that money into the pockets of all the people, like my wife and I, and the millions like us, who have jobs that don't pay a living wage. Then take the stigma out of fast food, retail, janitorial work, etc. Stop calling them "unskilled". Stop telling them, like you just did, to jump through all these hurdles to try to get a different job and a different job and a different job.

There will always be a need for people to do the "grunt work" of society. They change and evolve through time but they're always there. Pay us. It's that simple. Stop pretending like they're just jobs for teenagers, when that would mean places aren't open during school hours, and pay your damn employees and treat them with dignity and respect.

There. Jobs without a living wage have been eradicated. But greed will never allow that to happen and society will just keep throwing its hands up and telling us to get a better job while using the very services of the workers they so despise.

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u/ArkLaTexBob 3h ago

Do you know when an individual or a corporation is willing to pay someone $5 million? It's when that guy can increase the bottom line by $50 million. If you don't give it to him, he and that profit go to your competitors.

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u/Inlerah 1d ago

So what happens to the people who relied on those jobs once AI takes them?

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u/ArkLaTexBob 1d ago

What happened to elevator operators when we developed controls and automation? (Hint: They did not starve or go on the dole.)

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u/Inlerah 1d ago

But no one was honestly suggesting that the elevator operators go to school to become highly-skilled professionals or tradesmen, or else there won't be a job that could support them.

You replace retail or foodservice work with automation or AI...where do you think those people currently doing those jobs are going to go? Spend years in college, with no job, hoping that they get one of the remaining "good jobs" that everyone will now be vying for?

How is this a better alternative than "Hey, maybe pay your workers enough to survive".

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u/ArkLaTexBob 23h ago

I am all for pay increases. I just don't know what to replace "supply/demand " with to set relative pay scales. An increase in mandated minimum wage would have to reset much of our wage structure. And I could never suggest years in college. I have almost no experience with that.

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u/CrazyBarks94 21h ago

How many elevator operators were there when that role became redundant? Probably few enough they could be absorbed into other jobs within the economy pretty easily, and it's a simple customer service role that the skills involved could be adapted to any number of hospitality roles. What happens when all, say, truck and taxi drivers are made redundant? There's a LOT more of them, and definitely not enough jobs of even remotely related required skillset for them to all find a place in the economy. When their jobs are gone they're screwed.

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u/ArkLaTexBob 20h ago

Yeah. If that started to happen to me I would project where demand might be headed and retrain. Where will there be a shortage next? Might they retrain you free or even OJT?

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u/CrazyBarks94 20h ago

I'm lucky enough to fit a niche role that won't be automated any time soon, but I know there are a lot of people who aren't so lucky, and a lot of people who honestly don't have the ability to retrain as easily as you might find it. Some people are slow learners, or will be old to the point they won't be considered for hiring if theyre new to a field or lack experience. Please understand it is going to be extremely difficult for a very large amount of people. I'm glad you are so certain you would beat the odds if you found yourself in that position. I'm pretty sure I'd be okay too.

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u/ArkLaTexBob 20h ago

I know that nothing I am recommending is universal. It is only a strategy for those that might be able to. I don't have anything to say about other solutions. These are the only ones I have personal experience with. I understand many will have another approach. At least we can see some of this coming.