(01-14-2024, 08:00 PM)Sneakers Wrote:

(01-14-2024, 01:42 PM)mikesez Wrote: Of course the labor shortage is the problem they see, as consumers of labor.  But as a homeowner, a consumer of contracting services, you would see it as a problem of availability, as long wait times to get the work you want done. You would neither know nor care if the contractors volunatrily cut back to part time, or if they're spending every waking hour working. You would just say, "the problem is the wait times are long and there's not much competition." Both perspectives are right, they're just from different angles.
But from a "birds eye view" perspective, the question is, why are there these local labor shortages?
The US population is still growing, so it's not births and deaths.
The best explanation I've found is that the people they might hire can't afford nearby homes with the wages that are offered.  Hence, these would-be tradesmen vote with their feet to less expensive areas or more lucrative jobs, and boom, labor shortage.

Also, I offered you that very easy, very accessible, very short, and very low cost read as a favor.  Don't assume anything about my reading level from it. Also, don't assume anything about the truth of a matter from how popular the books about it are.

First of all, you don't appear to understand the difference between cause and effect.  The homeowner has no idea what the cause may be, he or she can only see the effect, which is wait times for service.  The business owner is in the unique position of knowing exactly what is causing the delays and that is a shortage of labor.  

Now let's talk about the root problem.  Why is it so difficult to find employees today?  If your housing cost theory is correct, there should not be labor shortages in rural and lower priced living areas.  In fact, it should be exactly the opposite, with labor surpluses, so why is this not the case?  Why are employers in such areas having difficulty filling shifts?

Don't worry about doing me any educational favors, I'll get by on my own.  I don't make assumptions about the truth of a book by its popularity, I draw conclusions based on the factual accuracy of the material presented.  You should try it sometime; you might find it enlightening.