So -> This <- is not the answer

We in the United States have a problem filling jobs right now. There are a lot of ideas about why this is and how to fix it, but some are just plain ass stupid.

Thank you Libertarians of New Hampshire.

My guess is that the real problem two-fold.

First, the minimum wage of $7.25. If it had been indexed to inflation, it would now be about $10.25. If it was adjusted for income growth (outside of minimum wage) it would be about $21.00 -link. Republicans think it is already too generous. 

Outside of the country, the minimum wage for adults in England is ~ $12.50, in France it is $12.50 also. And in both of those countries jobs come with free health care (which eats up a huge ass percentage of American wages).

No one is dying for low paying jobs with even crappier benefits. Post-pandemic, minimum wage jobs (at $7.25 an hour) don't pay for rent or child-care. With more job openings, more people are looking for better paying jobs.

And, in these low paying jobs, many people are worried about customer facing positions with the total ass-holery that you have to deal with and the possibility in many states of random people shooting you. (There are reams of examples)

Second, we have done a great job of keeping undocumented workers out of the country. As much as Americans love to bitch that fast-food workers and menial job workers can't speak English, we loved the dirt ass cheap wages we paid to them. With almost zero population growth, American has depended on immigration for population and job growth for decades. 

The last Administration of Voldemort did a great job of stopping undocumented migration - which is a promise kept by Trump. It also effectively shut down legal migration. Student Visas are down 2%, refugee admissions down by 65% ad Permanent Residency Visas down by 13%. All of this before we even count the results of 2020 and Covid closures.

Therefore, there seems (to me) three ways to fix this. 1) Raise the minimum wage significantly. Or 2) let in more legal immigrants. Or 3) let in more illegal immigrants. Many businesses (including nearly all farm jobs) would greatly prefer the third option where they can pay shit AND threaten to deport them if they complain.