So the Agricultural Industry is claiming "labor shortages" in the midst of the worst unemployment crisis' seen in decades and I can't help but scratch my head.
The AJC of course is buying it hook line and sinker. With quotes from farmers but no mention of unemployment levels those farmers have around them. Governor asks state to probe farm labor shortages:
Jason Berry, the farm manager at Blueberry Farms of Georgia in Baxley, said a third of the 120 workers who were needed to pick highbush blueberries this spring did not show up for work even after the farm offered $50 signing bonuses. The farm also offered weekly $25 bonuses to people just for showing up for work.
Um, okay lets go check out what the employment situation around Applaing County GA is like...
11.5% in April.
Basic supply and demand. If an employer can't fill a needed job they raise the wage until it fills. If they don't really need it filled they won't fill it. Just because Blueberry Farms wants to just give out $50 signing bonuses and week $25 "show up" bonuses doesn't mean anything in of itself. They just keep raising the wage until labor is enticed into taking the job. These aren't highly skilled migrant workers are they? There aren't special schools of highly trained migrant workers that the state of GA is now losing out on are they? Or are these jobs that can easily be filled by the army of unemployed workers sitting ideal in the region?
Just because I want to hire people to come work in my back yard building a massive pyramid of books for $5 a day and I can't get people to do it doesn't mean their is a labor shortage. It means I'm not paying enough (or doing a good enough job locating workers). Neither of these do a "labor shortage" make.
Now if the argument is that I only want to hire people at slave labor wages and exploit them to the point that autonomous human beings who aren't desperate won't accept such treatment and would rather sit at home. Well tough luck for me.
The ability to exploit, degrade, or manipulate isn't the right employers have or should have. Claims of "or else I'm going to shut down my farm" means you weren't running a sustainable business model--or an ethically acceptable one either. A sucker is born every day and every time you read sob story's from the Agricultural industry in GA you should expect quality reporters to note the current unemployment rates in the region and maybe even quote an economist rather than just a rent seeking businessman who is more concerned about profits and getting cheap labor imported to him via government policy.
There is a different bewteen "labor shortages" that the Agricultural industry faces and actual labor shortages. Any reporter worth their salt will include unemployment sstatistics for the reigion when they report about "labor shortages"
I currently have a "labor shortage" for that pyramid of books I want built in my back yard. The rest of you shouldn't be concerned about this.
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