Labor Shortages Year 2022 | Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.

Introduction
Labor shortages were a significant problem for many companies during the year 2021.

Unfortunately, labor shortages have gotten a lot worse during the first four months of the year 2022.

The purpose of this short article is to take a look at a few of the reasons why companies are having labor shortages.

Discussion
Companies all over the USA are hiring. Many buildings have great big signs hanging from them that say: "We Are Hiring. Top Wages."

However, the promise of high wages is not helping to lure people back to work.

A few of the reasons why many people are not working are as follows:

Drug Testing: Most large organizations have a mandatory drug test for all new job applicants. And some large organizations are requiring random drug tests of their current employees. If any trace of any type of illegal drug is discovered during one of these drug tests then the perspective employee is not hired, or the current employee is either fired or put on leave until they can pass a future drug test. Drugs are a significant problem in the year 2022 because people of all ages, all races, and both sexes are increasing their use of recreational drugs for a variety of different reasons. The use of recreational drugs is probably going to increase and passing more laws, and having more drug tests is not going to help reduce the problem. Therefore the labor shortages due to drug use is going to increase.
Tobacco Use: Although tobacco can be legally used in the USA, and in most other countries, there are significant short-term and long-term health problems that are associated with the use of tobacco. Second-hand smoke is also a health risk. Therefore many government agencies, and many organizations, have passed rules that tobacco cannot be used inside their buildings, or anywhere on their property including their employee parking lots. Therefore a person who smokes has to walk to their vehicle, drive out of the parking lot, smoke a cigarette, and then return to the parking lot and make it back to his job before his break time has expired. And when he or she gets back to work then he or she smells like tobacco smoke. The smoke is in their hair, on their skin, and on their clothes. The odor of tobacco smoke is offensive to some people and those people do not mind telling the person who smokes that the smoker stinks. Therefore people who legally use tobacco are quitting their jobs and they are not bothering to look for another job. (Note: A person who has never smoked does not realize that nicotine is habit forming and that most of the people who smoke cannot stop smoking.) This problem is not going to be resolved anytime in the near future and therefore the labor shortage problem is going to get worse.
Respect for Authority: For the past 30 years in the USA our young people have been led to believe that they can do almost anything they want and that they do not have to pay attention to bus drivers, or school teachers, or law enforcement personnel. It is very difficult for these individuals to follow the instructions given to them by their boss and these individuals have a tendency to do things in any way they desire when their boss is not watching. Since they will not do their job in the way they are asked to do their job, this is causing problems at their place of work, and after they have been warned a few times, these individuals are being terminated. And these individuals are not bothering to look for another job because they have no intention of doing anything they don't want to do. Since more and more older people are retiring every month, this problem is going to become much, much more significant in the future.

The above are just a few of the reasons why companies cannot fill the job openings that they have available.

Conclusion
The current labor shortages are going to continue to get worse and worse.

And more and more companies are going to be seriously hurt, and many of these companies are going to go out of business.

This means that fewer products are going to be made, less food is going to be grown, and more equipment is going to remain broken and that equipment will not be repaired.

What impact do you think this is going to have on your future? Could products and food become so expensive that you will not be able to buy them?

Respectfully,
Grandpappy.

Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com

Labor Shortages in the Year 2022

Introduction

Discussion

Conclusion