Signs of the Times - and a question

[whell]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Now, try to tell that to the folks who refuse to hire unless they see that rise in demand first and bitch that the minimum wage is too much.

Good luck with that.

Dave

it's not about just minimum wage. It's about the ability to produce a product that is high quality and affordable relative to the competition while making a reasonable profit.

Set aside the obligatory comments about high -paid CEO's. Most businesses don't want to commit to hiring decisions unless they're sure that the work and the job is sustainable. As an example, a tooling maker that I support has had their margins eaten alive increasingly over the last few years. They run a lean shop, don't pay themselves exorbitantly, treat their employees well, and have had to price their products close to the bone to compete with non-US companies. They'd like to take on new work, but not at their cuurent margins, and not at the risk of hiring employees to do it if the work isn't sustainable. They look ahead and see real risk of costs increasing due to tax law changes and health care law changes. They are therefore risk averse and are choosing to hunker down and wait out this "storm" as best they can.

The storyline above is very common with most business owners I speak with. It is under-reported, because it's not a sexy story and these folks generally are just looking to run their businesses, not be in the news.