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Why aren’t wages rising rapidly if there are 6 million job openings?

Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:22 pm
Posted by HailHailtoMichigan!
Mission Viejo, CA
Member since Mar 2012
69370 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:22 pm
Doesn’t such a large number of job openings (JOLT data is my source for this number) imply a shortage of workers, which economics tells us leads to a rise in price (wage)?

Indeed, wages are rising but sluggishly

Employers must expect the supply to change or something so they are holding off on upping wages
Posted by 56lsu
jackson mich
Member since Dec 2005
7441 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:23 pm to
fox fake news
Posted by ShortyRob
Member since Oct 2008
82116 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:25 pm to
quote:

Doesn’t such a large number of job openings (JOLT data is my source for this number) imply a shortage of workers, which economics tells us leads to a rise in price (wage)?

Well, wages aren't perfectly elastic.

A company will certainly pay more for an employee if they must, but there's still a max they will pay before the perceived return on hiring the employee is no longer worth the cost.

quote:

Employers must expect the supply to change or something so they are holding off on upping wages

No. This isn't bread.

I might WANT to hire more people to for a particular business reason that I believe will improve my bottom line. So, quite obviously, there is a number at which hiring him is no longer beneficial to me. Then, I don't want to hire him anymore. And, I stick with my business as it stands.
Posted by Brosef Stalin
Member since Dec 2011
39275 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:25 pm to
There's either no one qualified for those jobs or the companies don't really want to fill them. Either way they'll use this as an excuse to bring in cheap foreign workers.
Posted by coonasswhodat
Gonzales, Louisiana
Member since Dec 2013
4112 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:26 pm to
Consult your sources, then get back to us with the answer.
Posted by DEG
Atlanta
Member since Jul 2009
10539 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:29 pm to
quote:

Why aren’t wages rising rapidly if there are 6 million job openings?


Younger workforce. Baby boomers are retiring, contributing to both the decreasing unemployment rate and flattening wage rate.
This post was edited on 6/19/18 at 7:30 pm
Posted by YumYum Sauce
Arkansas
Member since Nov 2010
8323 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:31 pm to
Im in commercial construction.

Although our workload has increased, our rates we can charge have not (yet) increased. If the demand for specialty subs keeps increasing then yes we will be able to charge more.

At that point, we will be able to pay our laborers more.

A business only has so much capacity.
Posted by 90proofprofessional
Member since Mar 2004
24445 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:32 pm to
most plausible theories I've heard are some combo of geographic labor market monopsony + still pulling discouraged workers into the labor force
Posted by I B Freeman
Member since Oct 2009
27843 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:34 pm to
Check the wages in Midland Texas. Truck drivers $150K. Sonic $20 per hour. ect.
Posted by Cruiserhog
Little Rock
Member since Apr 2008
10460 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:40 pm to
hmmm it might be because businesses did exactly what they said they would do with the windfalls from ole Donald's tax plan

Owners and corporations took their tax cuts and used them for stock buybacks instead of investing in workforce.

the one time bonuses and small raises splattered to people got across this country amounted to dick compared to what corporations received in tax welfare.
Posted by LSURussian
Member since Feb 2005
126965 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:50 pm to
quote:

Why aren’t wages rising rapidly if there are 6 million job openings?

Wages from January, 2017 to January, 2018 rose faster than they have in the last 8 years (under Obama).

LINK
Posted by MrLarson
Member since Oct 2014
34984 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 7:57 pm to
Because most things are bid in advance by six months to a year. We have a labor shortage to boot.

Until costs come up wages can't come up. It is that simple.
Posted by meansonny
ATL
Member since Sep 2012
25775 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 8:12 pm to
quote:

Why aren’t wages rising rapidly if there are 6 million job openings?


Employers are hiring underqualified employees and spending the money to train them.

That is what you do when there is a shortage of labor.
Posted by tigeraddict
Baton Rouge
Member since Mar 2007
11829 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 8:15 pm to
It’s not an instant effect. It has a lag. Market is always trying to see an equilibrium.

Employers give raises yearly not monthly based on market trends. So actual raises and when they report to collection agencies lags actual market trends. Those getting higher may be seeing increases but drowned out by whole labor pool.
Posted by GeeOH
Louisiana
Member since Dec 2013
13376 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 8:16 pm to
What makes you think they arent rising
Posted by loogaroo
Welsh
Member since Dec 2005
31077 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 8:21 pm to
some shite like price elasticity of demand causing wages to rise once demand makes it worth paying more for.
Posted by BamaScoop
Panama City Beach, Florida
Member since May 2007
53874 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 9:14 pm to
Increase in jumber of jobs doesnt mean wages go up it just means you can get off tour dead arse and go to work.
Posted by RedStickBR
Member since Sep 2009
14577 posts
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:00 pm to
The labor market has tightened, as evidenced by headline employment and (albeit sluggish) wage growth.

But we are still sitting near 1970s-level participation rates, which is also sluggishly improving. That means there are likely a significant number of people returning to the work force that we need to churn through before the labor market is truly as tight as it’s been during historical periods of rapid wage growth.
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