Supply and Demand, right?
Free Economy, right ?
Free market, right ?

Pay me $100.00 and hour and I will wait tables at your restaurant.
As ridiculous as this sounds, this is what the tradesmen are doing now.
You need a carpenter, electrician, plumber, you have to pay up.

Why not waiters and waitresses. LOL

Water Country is Hiring!
 

Minimum Wage?

Starting hourly pay rates for positions like lifeguards, park services and seasonal maintenance have been increased to $13-$15 per hour. Workers also receive perks, like a $100 referral bonus and season passes for them and up to three members of their family.

The free market. It's the American way!

https://www.wmur.com/article/water-c...oyees/36322793

The next section after your quote:

"Hehl said the lower minimum wage in New Hampshire has added to the hiring difficulties.

“The candidate pool in this area along the Seacoast is just not there for the type of team members that we’re looking to hire,” Hehl said. “So, we’ve got to dip on each side of the border into Maine and Massachusetts and once you get into that, you’re competing with a very different minimum wage.”

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Well perhaps not $100 but the point of this thought is right on the mark. The minimum wage now has no connection with successful running a business. Threatening to close early because you can’t find help won’t get you the help you need. The local businesses need to review their business plans , adjust costs and prices to fit the new normal and price their product accordingly. That will result in bacon and eggs costing more then last year . Or hold the line and you will close your business.
I just hired 3 new receptionist employees, I will tell you I paid about a third more for these folks then I paid last year, I could have complained about the cause and the market but at the end of the day it’s pay or close

FLL continually brings up the $7.25 minimum wage but
no one in business that I know of has even considered that in years.
I think the lowest rate being offered is in the $9 to $10 range for 14/16 year old kids without skills for a seasonal job for some extra $$
Full time year round applicants are getting $12/$15 even as a training wage and skilled staff is now in the $20's due to supply and demand.

When the cost of living goes up it goes up for everyone. People making minimum wage aren't getting rich, they are just trying to survive. Just as the small business owner is trying to survive.
Wages are going up and prices will have to go up accordingly.
So when they report that inflation is under control, they are FOS! :rolleye1:
Everyone is in the same situation so wages and prices will have to go up.

Who is FLL, there is no such user handle :)

He's the most prolific poster on here. He's full of knowledge, among other things. :emb:

Last two summers, 2019 & 2020, Laconia was unable to keep their two tall white life guard watch seats on Weirs Beach staffed with a life guard due to their low pay offered.

So this summer, 2021, Laconia has raised their offered life guard pay up to eleven dollars per hour.

Laconia’s lack of lifeguards has little to due with pay. More to due with the homeless population and others that make lifeguarding difficult here in Laconia. Those looking to lifeguard have many choices


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I have a 15 1/2 year old grandson....he has no idea where to apply except for a local food store that said the wage would be $7.25. So yes, there are some not willing to do more. As a thought....why aren't businesses using the Forum Classified section to post jobs. It would be very helpful for younger kids !!!!

And I just checked the Forum's job listings...not one single summer job posted.

Just for a look-see, suggest he looks into working at the huge Market Basket in Plymouth NH to see what they would pay. Something psychic tells me it is much higher than $7.25?

Yes, the forum classified help wanted are totally no charge, free to post, including photographs so it could be a strong source ....... so, why not?

Did he take the job?

Honestly, if the only job available to my progeny right now was a $7.25 food store, I'd advocate for skipping it and creating an original business or doing volunteer work, extracurriculars, etc.

In my eyes, $7.25 for an hour of work is criminal—I'd rather my kids rake or mow a yard for $20+ or not worry about the $50/week and invest in their community or education.

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No workers
 

I’m one of those “living wage guys”, but I don’t think any business owner is going to stay closed during the summer in the Lakes Region because they don’t want to pay their people fairly. That’s just leaving money on the table.

I don’t know SAMIAM, but he hasn’t survived and excelled this long without understanding exactly what he is doing. That probably goes for most business owners around the lake. Things changed. He doesn’t have a seasonal labor pool, and he’s not going to be getting one anytime soon.

Seasonal labor is either going to be homegrown or imported. There is no real homegrown seasonal labor anymore, which arguably focusses on HS and College kids, and young adults having some fun.

In what is actually a demonstration of success, it appears that most HS and college kids around the lake do not need the money that a summer job provides, or they have better alternatives. The “I worked my butt off so my kids don’t have to” situation is very real, everywhere.

That leaves importing labor, which leads to where are they going to live? Is there even a rental market for seasonal labor anymore? The rents for even a single room are and will be astronomical - if available. They can stay home in MA (or any state) and get free food and lodging from the parents and make a lot more money than in NH.

So, in the future, can an economy based on seasonal labor survive? If so, larger corporations are much better suited and positioned to do it than a local owner.

The young kids today can make more money on line from the comforts of home and the aren't looking at the classifieds on this forum. Why would they want to bag groceries for $725 an hour?
By the way, the new term for employees now is "team members". :D

The only reason a kid would visit this site is to troll us old folks.

My 15 year old daughter has been looking for a job near our MA home. I have told her I will pay her not to work in MA so it does not interfere with my ability to go to the house on the lake. totally conflicts with my conservative views...

When it comes to working, I'm conservative as well, so I might consider subsidizing the pay and/or require investment elsewhere, e.g. volunteerism, education, etc.

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Wait....!!! Are you telling me that a TEACHER is willing to subsidize pay for education ????
:confused:

And for the younger workers, unless they are up here with family, their housing expenses/commuting kills the option

I feel your pain! My daughter is a few years older and I tried a similar trick, also telling myself it conflicted with my conservative views (not to be confused with my liberal political views, haha). Backfired--she got a job despite my best efforts to get her to just have fun with me at the lake. Spouted some sort of BS about it being important for her growth:eek:

Sports leagues have teams. Employers have employees. Don’t give in to the ridiculous euphemisms. It’s used, no ore-owned. Hospital, not medical center. School, not education center. Courthouse, not justice center. Church, not worship center. Mall, not shopping center. City Hall, not municipal center. Pool, not aquatic center. Whorehouse, not transactional copulation center. lol Everyone just talk normal.


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"Workers" Unite...
 

"Remember Normal?" is available emblazoned on a coffee mug or T-shirt.

Bolsheviks need not inquire.

I get a chuckle over those that think a business can pay wages as demanded, no matter what they are.

In some areas, like around Winnipesaukee, there are simply not enough workers in the area to staff all the lower wage jobs for the summer months. Doubling wages might lure a few people into employment but not enough. The seasonal nature of the jobs is not attractive to those seeking a "living wage" but who plan to live longer than the tourist season.

Further, some jobs simply won't support such wages. If you walked up to Bailey's Bubble and found the cost of an ice cream cone at $20 because they had to pay crazy wages, would you buy one? Even higher paying jobs can be priced out of existence. Talk to auto workers who forced their wages so high that it pushed their jobs into automation and overseas.

The example of services for plumbing and electrical is also distorted. If the costs for those services is out of sight, I MUST pay for essential work but I will forego such services that are not essential. Unjustified labor costs drive away business.

Many people may hire people to come in to do house cleaning weekly, if the prices are reasonable. Raise wages excessively and the cost will preclude many people from using the service.

The point of all this is that there are limits on what can be paid for any job. Those limits are in constant flux. It's a component of our economic system. The people who understand this best and can respond best to changing local conditions are the business owners and employees IN THE AREA, not slow moving and obtuse state or federal governments.

It's nice that there are still some people who understand economics.

I find that people that own their own business understand more than just an employee. That will never change. A business owner will work as hard as possible to keep his business going. An employee will only work as hard as their compensation. It's human nature, if you're going to pay people more not to work than to go to work they are going to take the larger pay.

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I agree many countries have found including us that when you keep extending unemployment benefits many people just don't bother looking . When we extended it for a year many people starting looking again as their benefits ran out . We are now adding $ 300 per week over and above what individual states pay. the max in NH is $427 plus $300 which can yield $727 per week. this is almost 40K per year and at least last year they made it tax free. So how much would you have to pay someone to work ? Only choice would be foreign workers. Miracle bought a couple of houses near their yard to house people they hire from outside the country. Samiam understands his business model better than most and knows because he has kept his prices down he attracts many locals( year round)who cant afford paying $25-50 per meal. You can have grilled haddock( my favorite Lakes region meal) for les that $30 for two tax and tip included .

Exactly why the government needs to mind their own business.

Work references
 

Recruiters and hiring managers look at gaps in employment on resumes and question the applicants about why they weren't working when there were jobs available. As recruiters for 25+ years each, we know a bit about this subject. No matter the age -- 17, 22, 35 -- you need to speak to why you weren't working.

We raised three daughters and always encouraged them to not be lazy or picky about summer jobs but to take a position to get the experience and work reference. It always has been -- and always will be -- better to be working in a lower paying job and get a work reference to help you get a better position than to not work at all. That won't change.

Let's face it -- nobody here has children or grandchildren they can't help support if the kid takes a lower paying job. We all live ON or near a lake and have boats and other toys -- we all share that information so nobody here can claim poverty or even close to it. Teach the kids and grandkids humility, to respect all levels on the totem pole by starting at the bottom and to show up, do their job, do it well and get a work reference when they leave.

GB

Huh ?

Drove around town with the Chief of Police one afternoon. An old friend. He was doing courtesy checks on some.

Viewed cabins or shacks with no electricity or running water. Right here in the Lakes Region.

Not everyone has a well to do parent or grand parent - to toss them a new BMW or Volvo - now and then.

Elitism occasionally meanders through our cultural perspectives.

Regarding people that only work as hard as their compensation, I agree, that applies to many. Those folks are complaining 40 years later that they don't have the savings to retire. Those that do have the savings to retire are individuals that overcame human nature and busted their butt all throughout their careers to, not work as hard as their compensation, but to work harder than it. Doesn't take long for those individuals to be culled out for promotions by those that recognize their work ethic. Those that want to get ahead don't work for their current paycheck, they work for their future one.

I totally agree, I look at gaps in employment and people who move around every year or two. It doesn't look good on a resume. Also when the first question is: "How much does it pay?" it's a big negative for me. Even if it's a very high paying job, it's should never ever be the first question asked on the phone or at the interview. And you are right, what ever happened to kids starting at the bottom and working their way up? Most of us didn't start out having what we have now. It's good for you to feel you succeeded, to feel that sense of accomplishment and also to have pride.

I don't disagree that making pay the first question asked is tactless, but employers should post at least a range so people can know if it's even worth their time. When I was applying for teaching jobs, I interviewed at two private schools that ultimately told me the pay was sub-$30k because "teaching here is a mission, not a job." Every other school I'd interviewed at had clearly identified salaries (of $40k+).

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I keep seeing people make the claim that the minimum wage it too low, thats not the problem, its finding quality people who actually have developed some kind of work ethic. Perfect example go to McDonalds and ask for a McDouble plain and no cheese, 9 times out of 10 you will bring the sandwich back at least once for them to get it right, those are not workers those are drones who dont want to think or in some cases intelligence had left them years ago. IMO so much of this rests squarely on the shoulders of parents, telling their kids they are special and dont have to do this or that, they have turned their kids into adult toddlers who want and need everything done for them or handed to them. My youngest daughter who graduated from college with a psychology degree EARLY and is signed up for grad school works as a server making yes minimum wage but yet brings home $500 a week in the off season and often over $1000 in the summer all while having a baby a year ago and raising her virtually by herself. How does she do this? She values herself as does her employer. She gives 100% in whatever she does. Thats how people survive on minimum wage jobs, you become a valuable asset not a liability like the McDonalds worker or the lazy ass sitting home playing video games waiting for his/her government check. If you have one of those types taking up space in your home YOU are the real problem.

This all comes down to education. This country has to put education first. Schools should be like a job, full day, then no home work. Free pre school and every kid must learn english. Our teachers need to be paid more and they need the support of parents and goverment. They have so many restrictions imposed on them now that they can't control their classrooms. I understand that education starts at home but many of these parents grew up without the tools to succeed so if they don't have them how do we expect them to teach their kids? I also think we need to promote the trades as much as we promote college. Not every kid needs to go to college to be productive and make a living.

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This thread makes me laugh... it seems like the ones that complain most are the liberals preaching about a living wage and in the same breathe complain that it costs them so much to get others to do something for them! My grandson just got a job at Hannaford's stocking shelves for $12 hour. Who actually gets paid minimum wage in NH? I'm not talking about the food industry and their base pay. I have actually talked to waitresses in the past and everyone of them did not want $15 per hour... seems like they make way more money with tips. Some actually make $400 per shift!

On a positive note, College grads are able to get good jobs right out of the gate. My grandson graduates this month and landed a great job starting in June.

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Ya, it's only the liberals that complain about inflation. :emb::emb:

Maybe NH should take this same approach as Montana just did

GOP Montana Governor Offers Get Back to Work Bonuses, Cancels Federal Jobless Programs https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2...less-programs/


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