• Light/Dark

[CNN] The data that shows Boomers are to blame for the labor shortage

El Bombastico

El Bombastico

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
36,259
From CNN.com

One of the more insidious myths making the rounds this year was that young people didn't want to work because they were getting by just fine on government aid. People had too much money, went the narrative from a handful of politicians and pundits.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Early retirement — whether forced by the pandemic or made possible otherwise — is having a huge impact on the labor market. And data show that retiring boomers, far more than "lazy" millennials, are the biggest force behind the labor shortage.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

  • The strong stock market and soaring home prices have given higher-income people, especially Boomers, more options, says ADP Chief Economist Nela Richardson.
  • The nature of the pandemic means the risks of going to work are higher for older people.
  • Employers aren't doing enough to lure people out of retirement. They're creating jobs, just not the ones people want.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


There's a lot more, including the fact that some Boomers are starting to unretire and come back to work again and the labor shortage is winding down. Really puts things in a different light, but of course "fucking millenials" will always be the default view for some people (even other millennials, based on personal experience).
 
Primal Sage

Primal Sage

Virtually Real
Member
Nov 27, 2017
10,120
"blame" is a pretty strong word for something people should absolutely be allowed to do. If you want to retire and are able to, then no one should judge someone taking that choice.

In times of high unemployment, older workers would get the same "blame" for not making way for the younger generations.
 
Autumn

Autumn

Avenger
Apr 1, 2018
6,685
I mean if you played it smart you shouldn't be working as a boomer. You got everything cheap and can sell at ATH and F-off.
 
Wolf

Wolf

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,945
Boomers are responsible for a majority of the world's problems so this isn't exactly a surprise.
 
Chikor

Chikor

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
14,239
Primal Sage said:
"blame" is a pretty strong word for something people should absolutely be allowed to do. If you want to retire and are able to, then no one should judge someone taking that choice.

In times of high unemployment, older workers would get the same "blame" for not making way for the younger generations.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
People are able to retire, the horror of horrors, something must be done about that!
 
makonero

makonero

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,764
My parents lost their house in a fire and then Covid hit, so I don't blame them for retiring when they couldn't focus on work. My mom went back to work at half the hours but still, I think these last few years have really shaken the older generations out of their norms and that's not a bad thing. People should retire.
 
Deepwater

Deepwater

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,349
Feels worth to mention and interrogate if these shortages aren't caused by the labor force *dying* from covid. You remove 10,000 people over a year from the national meat packing or retail industry and yeah it will be probably be shortages?
 
demondance

demondance

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,808
COVID has to be part of it as well, given how many older people it kills. Being an older line cook in 2020 was as close to a death sentence as a job could get.

But yeah, as always, the "lazy entitled millennials" kneejerk response never holds up to scrutiny. It's sad that a bunch of these boomers were in the workforce at all, given how old they are. They *should* be out of the workforce! What's sadder, though, is that they're the last generation that will broadly have access to that kind of option. Younger people are far more alienated from having skin in the game, they don't own homes, rarely have a well-funded 401k, etc.

It's going to be very interesting to see what this country looks like when the last generation pacified by the bargains of the New Deal dies off and have their homes vacuumed away via reverse mortgages. Americans have always traded class consciousness for material gain, mainly land/home ownership and getting a taste of stock market gains. But the material gain part is out of the picture for most.
 
DrForester

DrForester

Mod of the Year 2006
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,066
The Boomer's creed

cbyKojP.gif
 
Threadkular

Threadkular

Member
Dec 29, 2017
2,440
Isn't the low age range for Boomers 60 at this point? So the retirement age would probably average higher and closer to the "US expected" 65 which I thought many believe is too high as is.
 
Annubis

Annubis

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,715
Chikor said:
People are able to retire, the horror of horrors, something must be done about that!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I mean... some of the more dire estimates say my generation will retire at 75.
Retirement is becoming a privilege of boomers. They created this whole economic structure of slave labor knowing they'd be the slave masters.
 
Kinsei

Kinsei

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
20,758
"Blame"

America's work until you're dead culture is disgusting. People should be retiring.
 
Chikor

Chikor

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
14,239
Annubis said:
I mean... some of the more dire estimates say my generation will retire at 75.
Retirement is becoming a privilege of boomers. They created this whole economic structure of slave labor knowing they'd be the slave masters.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It wasn't random people retiring early that killed retirement in the US, it was wall street, business interests and corrupt politicians.
Also just in general I think we should try to make sure that your generation can retire, rather than making sure no one ever retire in the US ever.
 
Brinbe

Brinbe

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
60,085
Terana
Considering boomers are the source of a lot of this bullshit it's infuriating to consistently get blamed
 
Nooblet

Nooblet

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,858
I know it's fun to pile on boomers, and I like it too.
But this particular instance is quite full of shit, expecting older people to keep working till they die is just silly.
 
DanarchyReigns

DanarchyReigns

Member
Oct 25, 2017
35,119
So if old people are retiring, then maybe have more tempting offers to young people?
Pizza once a month isn't good enough anymore. Higher wages, better benefits, show them respect.
 
leder

leder

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,121
The labor shortage is actually good for younger workers, and people being able to retire is good. The only bad guys in this are politicians and media for pushing the other bullshit narrative
 
Chikor

Chikor

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
14,239
leder said:
The labor shortage is actually good for younger workers, and people being able to retire is good. The only bad guys in this are politicians and media for pushing the other bullshit narrative
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Labor shortage is good to workers in general, which is why it's treated as terrible crisis by the media and our politicians.
 
Baji Boxer

Baji Boxer

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,423
Nooblet said:
I know it's fun to pile on boomers, and I like it too.
But this particular instance is quite full of shit, expecting older people to keep working till they die is just silly.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
"Blaming" anyone is a pretty terrible take, as if someone is intentionally or recklessly fucking with the labor market. What's happening seems it should have been rather predictable
 

LordByron28

Member
Nov 5, 2017
2,348
Mammoth Jones said:
Seems a bit of a stretch. People retire. It happens.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
A bit of a stretch 70% of the people permanently leaving the workforce is 55 and over. Idk if blame is the right word but the current labor crisis is happening from mass retirees not young people who don't want to work anymore.

Nooblet said:
I know it's fun to pile on boomers, and I like it too.
But this particular instance is quite full of shit, expecting older people to keep working till they die is just silly.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I mean I think it's moreso that millenials are tired of getting blamed for everything wrong happening with the world by older people. Especially when it is older people complaining how no one wants to work anymore.

meowdi gras said:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/er...buting-to-us-inflation-and-labor-woes.529384/
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Thank you for linking to the thread that I already created on this topic with the exact same link.
 
MayorSquirtle

MayorSquirtle

Member
May 17, 2018
8,447
waterpuppy said:
Let's not buy into the whole generational shit flinging BS.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Seriously, the problem is and has always been class. Rich people will actively encourage every other possible division to distract from that. Plenty of boomers were struggling and exploited back in "their day" and are still struggling now. And if it seems the majority aren't, well, maybe that's because a lot of the poor from that generation died already because being lower class means worse living conditions and less access to healthcare.
 
lorddarkflare

lorddarkflare

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,399
I feel like it is bullshit to blame boomers or go on rants about how they are destroying things.

I 100% support their goddamn right to retire. The younger generations should be complaining about potentially being deprived that opportunity, not this.

Now that we know what the problem is, the question is what do we do?

Sounds like nothing. We need to accept the new reality that the labour market has drastically shrunk.
 
louisacommie

louisacommie

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,608
New Jersey
Yeah inspite of Any generational warfare boomers should be able to retire


I personally don't put stock into retirement age for my generation though that is probably just vote dependent on the hope that the system killing retirement will have been replaced by the time I am old
 
JohnsonUT

JohnsonUT

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,032
My previous and current companies offered early retirement to anyone older than 60 and it was nearly a 100% acceptance rate. Both companies were shocked that so many took them up on the offer. This led to a bunch of internal promotions followed by indefinitely open job listings that never get filled.

I expect a few of the early retirees to come back soon as very expensive contractors.
 
Seirith

Seirith

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,356
I find it funny to blame people who are 60+ for this because they want to retire. Do they expect my 72 year old dad to go back to work full time being a plumber like he was for 40+ years? I think not.

I am no expert but I am sure there are many reasons people have not gone back to work, low pay, not working during Covid because of health reasons, working age people have died of Covid, are worn out from working in Covid fields with tons of rude people.

Also, not in every case but I blame some young people for not being able to retire, most young people I ever worked with and those that my husband work with now complain they "have no money" or are "totally broke until payday" and yet comes in with fast food breakfast and then go out and buy lunch every day. They also buy a new $1,000+ iPhone every year and are always "going out" on the weekend. They spend every penny they have and never save anything.
 
lorddarkflare

lorddarkflare

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,399
Seirith said:
I find it funny to blame people who are 60+ for this because they want to retire. Do they expect my 72 year old dad to go back to work full time being a plumber like he was for 40+ years? I think not.

I am no expert but I am sure there are many reasons people have not gone back to work, low pay, not working during Covid because of health reasons, working age people have died of Covid, are worn out from working in Covid fields with tons of rude people.

Also, not in every case but I blame some young people for not being able to retire, most young people I ever worked with and those that my husband work with now complain they "have no money" or are "totally broke until payday" and yet comes in with fast food breakfast and then go out and buy lunch every day. They also buy a new $1,000+ iPhone every year and are always "going out" on the weekend. They spend every penny they have and never save anything.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Unless you are all up in those people's finances, I would caution coming to conclusions.

People have always been irresponsible with money. The newer generations are not unicorns. What is different is that unlike with previous generations, it is much harder to recover from stupidity.

Before, you could piss away your twenties and still be able to make a nice nestegg after you got your shit together. Now? Not so much.


Aquavelvaman said:
We need boomers to retire though. Make room.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, I argue the issue here is twofold:

1) - Politicians and media continuing to push this bullshit generational war nonsense.
2) - Covid causing so many boomers to retire all at once.
 
Tukarrs

Tukarrs

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,859


It's easier to have generation warfare than admit that the system is just not working.
 
TheUndeadGamer

TheUndeadGamer

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,013
Southern California
I did a quick google search and found the age ranges for boomers and others as well. I thought it was interesting. I'm in the millennials range (1984).

Credit goes to: Beresford Research

​
BornAges
Gen Z1997 – 20129 – 24
Millennials1981 – 199625 – 40
Gen X1965 – 198041 – 56

​
Boomers II1955 – 196457 – 66

​
Boomers I1946 – 195467 – 75

​
Post War1928 – 194576 – 93
WW II1922 – 192794 – 99


Excuse the poor formatting. Had a lot of trouble getting the chart(?) in here.
 
Wilsongt

Wilsongt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,640
Boomers retire and those cushy jobs go with them. Employeers don't fill them anymore in favor of adding more work to underpaid, overworked staff.
 
Lord Fanny

Lord Fanny

Member
Apr 25, 2020
26,537
Wolf said:
Boomers are responsible for a majority of the world's problems so this isn't exactly a surprise.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Sshhhhh, don't say that or you'll get accused of Ageism, even if it's true.

Having said that, I really can't hold this one against this them. If you have the ability to retire and have worked all your life, you should have the right to do so. It's a shame that option has largely vanished for younger generations because of what boomers in the political space have allowed, but we all know that story
 
Canas Renvall

Canas Renvall

Member
Mar 4, 2018
2,602
The Gray Ceiling has been a thing for a long time in many industries as people live longer and work longer before retirement. Spots and positions weren't opening up for a long time, leaving millennials stuck while Gen X and boomers kept higher positions. Theoretically, this labor shortage should be grounds for promotions and everyone should be able to move up a rung.

Fuck the nonsense "nobody wants to work" rhetoric.
 
Mammoth Jones

Mammoth Jones

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,437
New York
LordByron28 said:
A bit of a stretch 70% of the people permanently leaving the workforce is 55 and over. Idk if blame is the right word but the current labor crisis is happening from mass retirees not young people who don't want to work anymore.



I mean I think it's moreso that millenials are tired of getting blamed for everything wrong happening with the world by older people. Especially when it is older people complaining how no one wants to work anymore.



Thank you for linking to the thread that I already created on this topic with the exact same link.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The labor crisis is happening due to ridiculously low pay. People retiring is normal and should be encouraged if not celebrated.
 
CreepingFear

CreepingFear

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
16,766
We shouldn't be blaming boomers or millennials, blame the cunts in charge that won't treat their workers like human beings.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.