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A quarter-century ago, there were 56 teenagers in the labor force for every "limited service" restaurant — that is, the kind where you order at the counter.
Today, there are fewer than half as many, which is a reflection both of teenagers' decreasing work force participation and of the explosive growth in restaurants.
But in an industry where cheap labor is an essential component in providing inexpensive food, a shortage of workers is changing the equation upon which fast-food places have long relied. This can be seen in rising wages, in a growth of incentives, and in the sometimes odd situations that business owners find themselves in.
Too many restaurants, not enough teens to work in them.
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A Fast-Food Problem: Where Have All the Teenagers Gone?
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If the thunder don't get you, then the lightning will.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 19 2018, @03:57PM (6 children)
Two words nobody else mentioned: "Property Prices".
Just 20 years ago, you could (just about) work shifts at a fast food place and pay your rent. That equation no longer works and the proposed alternatives are minimum wage or immigration - both of which exasperate the underlying problem.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday July 19 2018, @05:04PM (5 children)
I remember reading stories as a kid about old sailors who carried their hammocks with them and slept wherever they could anchor it, because it was a custom they had acquired aboard ship. I wonder why more people don't do that now, if housing is an issue for them. There are even such things as hammock tents that completely enclose you, in case the weather is inclement. When you're done, roll 'em up and stuff 'em into your backpack.
I know if I was a young guy getting out of college with crushing student debt and no way to afford a regular apartment, it's what I would do. A hammock tent, an e-bike, and a gym membership for the shower, and I'd be set.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 5, Informative) by sjames on Thursday July 19 2018, @05:36PM
You would soon discover a new tradition called the police show up in the middle of the night, destroy your stuff and order you to leave or get arrested.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by ledow on Thursday July 19 2018, @06:29PM
No permanent address?
In my country, that means no bank account, no credit card, no car insurance, no required tax forms, probably no ID (or ID on an address that you can't say you live at, which is an offence for some ID - e.g. driving licence, etc.), etc. etc. etc. Hell, getting paid in cash is rarer and rarer unless you work in a direct-service-industry (e.g. taxicabs, etc.).
It's actually harder to get a job and keep a job without a permanent address - employers don't want you up-and-leaving without a trace.
Sure, you could use a friend's address, until they realise your credit history affects them, or you have 10 people all living at that address that aren't really there. It only needs a couple of letters returned "undelivered / not at this address" and your accounts can be closed until you go to the bank and prove you have a permanent address again.
It's just not that easy in a modern world. That's why.
Sure, if you want to work in places that pay cash-in-hand, no tax, don't care about where you live, where you are going to carry all that cash around with you, where you have nowhere to secure to belongings, in a workplace that'll let you bring or leave your live-in crap in a secure place, where you have no need for a phone, a computer, the ability to buy things online, never pay any bills, get questions about what tax you were paying in that interval, etc. etc. etc. then feel free. That's a class of people who already exist, and have more than enough problems getting back into regular work and even renting accommodation, let alone explaining gaps in employment history etc. to future employers.
Cool for trekking through Asia, living off sketching people. Not so cool for any kind of regular or secure life. Certainly not compatible with things like electric-bikes... I'd give it a week before it was nicked and where do you leave it when you're at work?
Of course it can be done. It's called being homeless.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday July 19 2018, @08:00PM (2 children)
How long do you think you would own that e-bike in your homeless state? Careful where you try to charge it, anybody who didn't like the look (or smell) of you at first sight would use "electricity theft" as a pretense to hassle you, and if the cops are on their side, you're toast.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday July 20 2018, @01:17AM (1 child)
Lock? German shepherd?
Public charging station? Work?
See, i'm not talking about somebody who's indigent, just nomadic. TFA was talking about fast food restaurants who can't find workers, because the workers can't afford homes in commuting distance. I'm saying that if you eschew rent, you can make your dollar go further.
No mailing address? P.O. box. Can't register to vote with a PO box? Well, what are you really missing anyway? No driver's license? E-bike.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday July 20 2018, @02:13AM
When I was in college a bike with a Kryptonite lock would last an average of 1.5 nights outside before it vanished - and that was for crappy old pedal bikes. I imagine that e-bikes make even more tempting targets.
If you take a German shepherd with you on your nomadic lifestyle in urban areas, I'd call that borderline cruelty. Cities aren't going to let you let your dog off-leash, especially while you sleep - where, exactly? Our nephew back-packed across the US and managed to find private property owners here and there who would let him pitch tent for a night or two, but it was hit and miss and on the miss nights he was hassled more often than not. One thing he didn't find were many people who would even entertain the idea of letting him stay long term.
Then, you've got the issue of public toileting - places with facilities generally won't have places you can sleep for free within miles.
There's a pretty big "roughing it" community that moves up and down the I-75 corridor, sleeping in places with names like "itchy bottom swamp." Getting enough work to be able to afford food is a challenge, probably made easier with cellphones.
The sad fact of life in our society is that if you choose to be nomadic, it is far easier to make your living as a combo pan-handler / small time thief than it is to get gainful employment.
🌻🌻 [google.com]