Quote:JJ I get that accountants are more skilled and therefore will be remunerated better. But why should any job pay poverty wages? Why would you want people to be in poverty.


As for accountants I'm lucky to be part of a profession which restricts the labour market via professional bodies. Also not having free market immigration because there are millions of accountants in the likes of India who are also highly educated.

 

You really don't get the point that fast food jobs are/were not intended to be a career for most people.  I worked in fast food when I was a teenager, mainly to put gas in my truck and have money to do things that I wanted to do.  They didn't pay me what I considered "poverty wages" because at the time, I had no debt and really not a lot of responsibility (I was still in high school).  It wasn't the first "job" that I had and I personally went from "flipping burgers" to being an assistant manager in a very short period of time.  Even then I never wanted it to be a career, so I left the job after gaining some experience and moved on.

 

My point is, you see many adults that are interviewed when they are protesting for higher pay, and many of them state that they have been doing the job for years with little to no pay increase.  I put the blame on them since the job requires very few skills, but does teach some skills that could lead to a better job somewhere else.  Perhaps they fail to put any effort into improving their situation?

 

Quote:There's a point being missed here as we discuss fast food jobs... the flight of manufacturing from the usa to foreign countries has created a stifled job market. Yes, prior to nafta, fast food and the service industry were mainly for kids.


Things done gone up and changed. You can't have an honest discussion of wages until you at least recognize the current situation. There are studies that show the average age of these workers is no longer in their teens or early 20s any more.


That's a problem for this country, no matter your political leaning...

 

I get your point, but why is there such a "flight of manufacturing" from the U.S. to other countries?  Yes, labor cost is certainly one factor, but it is not THE sole factor.  Regulation and taxation has much to do with it as well.

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