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Comment by FactKnower69 | Hacker News Reader

Only for tech workers. ONLY for tech workers. Yes, I was able to secure a job with >$300k TC with 4 years of experience a few months ago, but friends of mine with essential jobs where they perform actual labor (the kind society would fall apart in a week without) are still making $10-15/hr. The minimum wage is STILL $7.25. The minimum cash wage for tipped jobs (rife with wage theft) is STILL $2.13 an hour. I'm serious. $2.13. Look it up.

Meanwhile a crumbling 2BR single family home is $800k and insulin is $300 a vial.

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"friends of mine with essential jobs where they perform actual labor (the kind society would fall apart in a week without) are still making $10-15/hr"

Not only that, but a lot of these jobs are ones where these awfully-paid workers have to risk their lives (especially during the height of the COVID pandemic, before the vaccines, when being on the front lines meant risk of death).

If they don't risk their lives many of them risk their health and sanity to a much greater degree than people in much cushier jobs with much higher compensation.

They also face greater job insecurity, because they're seen as completely replaceable cogs, maltreated at will and fired when no longer useful.

Why aren't more people eager to get such shitty jobs?

An interesting question is why more people aren't eager to quit such shitty jobs. If you're going to get fired anyway, you may as well quit. The number of open jobs to compete for you is not low. That said, they aren't doing great at competing for you, so maybe that answers the question.

"An interesting question is why more people aren't eager to quit such shitty jobs. If you're going to get fired anyway, you may as well quit."

A few reasons:

First, they can't afford to quit. Many people in low-paid jobs are living paycheck to paycheck and have to feed their kids and pay their bills, so can't afford to quit to find another job (and are too busy to look while working).

Second, there might not be any better options in their area.

Third, inertia, fear of change, exhaustion, and depression, which make doing things that take risk and initiative difficult.

That's some good speculation, and mostly what I would suspect as well. But actual data would be a lot better.

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