It's amazing how we are seeing history repeating itself Noel.Just like the war effort years of the 1940's.I waited a little over 2 months  for an American made clothes dryer.I bought US made large gauge extension cords, and arrived in a few days.Low sodium Spam is getting harder to find also.WE WILL MAKE IT THROUGH THIS PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!

Working conditions and salaries, were no better 3 years ago in 2018 than they are now. And yet there was no shortage of workers then and unemployment was very low in America. Everybody wanted those jobs then. Now they don't want them.

How many of these people who are not working have spouses who are working and who have them on their health insurance and can easily afford to live on what what the spouse makes and their unemployment compensation?  Luke just assumes they are single and are continuing to pay for healthcare insurance.  He is giving us only the worst case scenario.

When my wife and I were both working we both carried our employer healthcare insurance and each one covered the both us us.  So if one partner is laid off and collecting unemployment he/she doesn't have to worry about healthcare insurance.

I gave my personal example with a working spouse.  I would think many of hose currently unemployed have working spouses or both partners are collecting unemployment insurance.  And many of them are deciding not to go back to work until their benefits time out for one reason or another.

Noel

 

And now it's chaos at petrol stations in the UK as people start panic buying. 

Brexit has meant a shortage of Tanker drivers. BP have closed many petrol stations. ⛽ 

 

So now they are having to rush to generate temporary visas for foreign lorry drivers to get us out of a mess.

 

BBC News - Lorry driver shortage: Government working on temporary visa scheme
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58687026

 

Covid plus Brexit and other factors is a bad combination. 👎 

 

Edited September 25, 20214 yr by martin-w

1 hour ago, martin-w said:

And now it's chaos at petrol stations in the UK as people start panic buying. 

As previously mentioned, there is no limit to human stupidity.
There has been a shortage of drivers for years and no serious problems with the supply of food or fuel.

The problem is those who are in the public eye, like the transport secretary, standing up and stating that there is no shortage of fuel.
Naturally, as he is a government spokesperson, no one believes him.
The stupid humans then rush out to unneccesarily fill up their vehicles and no doubt also buy several hundred rolls of toilet
paper, thus creating the shortage themselves.
When all of the stupid humans' fuel tanks are full, there willl  be no shortage at the pumps, just as in fact there is no actual shortage now.
The thinking person realises that the day before yesterday, there were exactly the same number of drivers and yet no shortage.
This thinking person's daughter is a nurse, who today cannot find fuel for her car to travel to the hospital where she works.
 

 

 

Edited September 25, 20214 yr by Reader

48 minutes ago, Reader said:

There has been a shortage of drivers for years and no serious problems with the supply of food or fuel.

 

Very true. Its Brexit and Covid that have pushed it over the edge, But yes, refineries have no shortage and despite people being told not to panic buy, they do indeed panic buy. Its toilet roll all over again. 

 

50 minutes ago, Reader said:

The problem is those who are in the public eye, like the transport secretary, standing up and stating that there is no shortage of fuel.
Naturally, as he is a government spokesperson, no one believes him.
The stupid humans then rush out to unneccesarily fill up their vehicles and no doubt also buy several hundred rolls of toilet
paper, thus creating the shortage themselves.

 

😁 Very true. Self fulfilling prophecy.

 

I'm on the Channel Islands, on a smallish island, so perhaps won't impact us.  Comes by cargo ship to us, so not sure f that's direct from the refinery or via another location that might require road transport. 

@birdguy  Noel -  A lot of states ended the extended unemployment benefits early but they did not see much change in unemployment.

Google this phrase:  states ending extended unemployment early did not see fall in unemployment

Well, Dave, if their unemployment ran out and they are not going back to work what are they doing for food and shelter?  Moving in with parents or discovering a married couple can live on one salary?

Noel

Just now, birdguy said:

Well, Dave, if their unemployment ran out and they are not going back to work what are they doing for food and shelter?  Moving in with parents or discovering a married couple can live on one salary?

Noel

Why do you ask me?  maybe they died.  maybe they became homeless.  maybe they are in the hospital?

lets hope they moved in with parents or something but the whole theme of this thread "why arent those people getting back to work?" is weird.

9 minutes ago, birdguy said:

Well, Dave, if their unemployment ran out and they are not going back to work what are they doing for food and shelter?  Moving in with parents or discovering a married couple can live on one salary?

You keep assuming that they aren't working. All we know for certain is that they're not working in their previous field. The symptoms reported are quite consistent with people getting jobs in different lines of work, which is what I have suggested is likely happening.

Cheers!

Edited September 25, 20214 yr by Luke

It's no coincidence that the goods shortages, price inflation, and now lack of workers all occurred shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Covid is the reason all this is happening.

Now that things are starting to return to normal, at least here in the U.S., you have a large increase in demand, but supply has not caught up yet.

And, yes, the extended and IMO exorbitant unemployment supplement amounts provided by the federal govt.on top of what the States already pay, has been a great disincentive for many to return to work.

My mother, who was 72 when Covid began but still working part-time, got laid off in early 2020.  She was able to go on unemployment, and was raking in over $2,000 a month with the State benefit plus the federal benefit.  On top of that she gets Social Security income of over $1,600 a month.  Yeah, she was doing very well, and she got the benefits for a full year.  I'm happy for her because she's my mother, but then I think about the millions of much younger folks who were making around $2,000 a month, got laid off due to Covid, and then found themselves raking in more money in unemployment benefits than they ever made working.  Heck, I would delay going back to work as long as I could if I got those kind of benefits!

I believe that as the Covid pandemic winds down and production of goods picks up and supply increases, things will gradually return to normal.  Price inflation will abate somewhat, but will never go back to <2% per year IMO.  First, you have the trend of increasing wages for lower-skilled work which actually started several years ago, for example, department stores now paying on average $12-15 per hour whereas just 5 years ago they paid $10 per hour.  I agree with the wage increase as working folks should make a decent living wage.  However, this will cause the price of almost everything to go up.  I also believe that we will see continued price inflation of >2%, especially on necessities like food and energy, due to excessive money creation and deficit spending by irresponsible governments around the world, which in effect creates artificial additional demand.

Dave

2 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

I believe that as the Covid pandemic winds down and production of goods picks up and supply increases, things will gradually return to normal

 

Trouble is, for us in the UK, we have Brexit compounding the issue. I better steer clear of elaborating as its political and arguments are likely to start with the Brexiteers. 😁

1 hour ago, martin-w said:

 

Trouble is, for us in the UK, we have Brexit compounding the issue. I better steer clear of elaborating as its political and arguments are likely to start with the Brexiteers. 😁

no its not just about brexit.   the hauage companies dont want to up the salary for people to drive the lorries,  they would rather still pay the terrible money that the eastern european drivers would work for.

In short, you pay someone a good proper wage, youll get 100s of applicants,  you pay someone peanuts, youll get applicants who will work for peanuts. which is what happened for years.  

lets also not forget with covid people have not been able to take driving tests, wether that is a standard driving test or an HGV license test and all the addon tests for driving dangerous goods. 

not only that but with covid companies forced aload of people onto furlough or made them redundent, people then went into new careers/sectors and have not gone back to their oridginal jobs.

sure brexit is part of it due to the license issues,  but theres alot more to it.  Furlough  has been one of the biggests issues out of all of this mess. and you cant just get an HGV license over night.

its not as linear as "brexit"   do some research, talk to someone thats got an HGV license, they will explain it. 

I wouldnt want to drive up and down the M1, eating sausage rolls, all at rubbish times of the day, all for rubbish money.

  

  

Edited September 25, 20214 yr by fluffyflops

Alright guys, going to wind this one now. We touched on all points and drifted into political theory with a side of Covid.