Low-Wage Labor Market

Commenters debate why employers easily fill low-paying jobs despite high turnover, citing abundant desperate workers, limited alternatives, and market dynamics that keep wages low.

📉 Falling 0.3x Career & Jobs
4,295
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#8672
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
4
2008
15
2009
21
2010
57
2011
49
2012
64
2013
166
2014
126
2015
161
2016
229
2017
314
2018
318
2019
327
2020
336
2021
616
2022
490
2023
432
2024
280
2025
279
2026
11

Keywords

WeWork wages jobs job wage workers pay employers employees minimum wage labor

Sample Comments

joosters Apr 26, 2021 View on HN

"It's harder to find people to do that work every single year"Translation: The wages we pay are crap and we're not going to pay them more.

jacquesm Feb 10, 2024 View on HN

They don't have to pay well, people working that kind of job don't have a whole lot of options. One leaves 10 more want to take their place. Employers are having a very easy time of it.

notfromhere Oct 9, 2017 View on HN

who else would work for the low wages?

yungporko May 8, 2024 View on HN

that's most likely because the people who work those jobs are usually struggling to make ends meet and desperately need every penny they can get. if their needs were met, i'm certain that would change.

fullshark Nov 20, 2017 View on HN

The latter. They are apparently able to find people to work for them at these wages.

jrs235 Sep 5, 2024 View on HN

Probably because they are willing to work for a lot less compensation!

WesternWind Jul 21, 2022 View on HN

Nobody wants to work for low rates if there is an alternative.

ttoinou Aug 25, 2019 View on HN

They provide valuable jobs, otherwise employees wouldn't agree to it

gohrt Jul 2, 2015 View on HN

people with shitty jobs will be willing to do less-shitty jobs that pay less.

sigstoat Apr 19, 2017 View on HN

if there was only one place for these folks to work, they wouldn't be commanding very significant salaries.