“There’s a shortage of good, skilled workers.”
I have heard this complaint from local employers for years. And not just local employers; it has been a common complaint among employers in places around the country for some time.
I don’t buy it.
Now, I’m a huge fan of our local businesses. I cheer for them every day. But this “shortage of good workers” complaint doesn’t fly.
Labor market statistics indicate that the percentage of skilled workers in the labor force is greater than ever. That’s true for the U.S., for Georgia and for Glynn County.
If you are an employer and you are having difficulty finding good workers, the problem is not a shortage of good workers. The problem is your wages are too low.
Not long ago a local employer said to me, “We’ve been looking for a skilled machinist for months, and we can’t find anybody.”
My question: “What’s the pay?”
Answer: “$12 an hour.”
$12 an hour for a skilled machinist and none have come knocking on your door? Is that a surprise?
If I’m a skilled machinist and I see a job posting for a skilled machinist paying $12 an hour, my response is: “Don’t insult me and don’t waste my time.” You’d never receive an application from me.
A common response to the suggestion “have you considered raising your wages?” is, “Look, this isn’t Jacksonville or Savannah or Atlanta. This is Brunswick.”
Wrong. On a map, this is Brunswick. But as far as the labor market is concerned, this is not Brunswick, nor is it Georgia or even the South. As far as the labor market is concerned, this is the U.S. of A.
Good workers — skilled, conscientious workers who take pride in what they do — are mobile workers. They’re like entrepreneurs: They search for the best opportunities, and when they find them, they seize them — wherever those opportunities may be.
My wife and I have a daughter who graduated from college last May. She majored in psychology so, knowing her job options would be limited, started her job search six months before she graduated.
She got a job offer from an outfit in Jacksonville. The job was decent, but the pay was lousy. She asked her mother for advice.
“Employers find job applicants who are currently working more attractive than applicants who are not. Take this job, work very hard, and in three months, start looking again.” Wise advice from Mom.
Our daughter did just that. She confined her job search to the United States. All 50 of them.
She soon had phone interviews with employers in Corvallis, Ore.; Anchorage, Ala.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and St. Paul, Minn. She now has a decent job for decent pay in Phoenix, Ariz.
That’s how good workers operate. Good workers are out there. But if you pay low wages, you won’t see them.
Employers want employees to care about the work they do. Right and good. But, dear employer, the wages you pay tell employees how much you care about the job they do. If you pay wages that suggest you don’t care very much, how much do you think employees will care?
What I’m talking about here is strictly business. In business, you get what you pay for. Pay good wages, you’ll get good workers. Pay lousy wages … well, what did you expect?
So, the point bears repeating: if you’re not finding good workers, your wages are too low. Raise them.
Reg Murphy Center