By Eric Valentine
I thought all the comments on social media about the reported labor shortages some businesses are finding themselves in were just that, comments on social media. But last week, Governor Brad Little made them policy. He forfeited the federal monies Idaho could use toward extended unemployment relief because, according to him, Idaho conservatives don’t want people on unemployment, they want them working (as if non-conservatives want the opposite).
Little, like other social media commenters, essentially had this knee-jerk reaction: Because unemployment payments are more lucrative and long-lasting now, people are opting to Netflix and chill Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. It’s a common-sense sort of reaction—you have to give people an incentive to work—that plays well in self-reliant American consciousness. He went on to boast of our state’s low unemployment numbers before officially denying our state coffers the federal money that I suppose will just go to Oregon now—same as weed.
What’s the non-knee-jerk reaction? To look a little at the data, and the law. If you’re on unemployment, you know you have to seek (or pretend to seek) at least two jobs per week to continue receiving benefits. You also have to report if you refused work. If you don’t, you can lose benefits or even pay them back. So, if there really is a laziness problem, it seems the first place to look is the actual Department of Labor itself (which receives state money), not the labor force (which was receiving federal money).
Then there’s the issue of livable wages. As housing rates increase and as a pandemic increases on-the-job risks and as tip-friendly industries like food and hospitality still have capacity limits, a free market triggers higher pay rates. Ironically, it is anti-capitalist for the state government to step in and remove funds from the equation to prevent market factors from balancing themselves out. Sit with it, reflex won’t help wrap our heads around that one. Meanwhile, there are companies in, for instance, the hospitality industry whose sole purpose is to recruit high-performing professionals for exclusive restaurants, hotels and resorts.
Now, the really big reason for the labor shortage: women. Depending on your source, the number of women who have had to remove themselves from the workforce is enormous—roughly 3 million. And many of those ladies aren’t coming back until schools are fully reopened and daycare access is more fully attainable. To Gov. Little’s credit, he is urging the passage of Senate Bill 1193. He says:
“A strong foundation of learning before age 5 helps our youngest Idahoans prepare for kindergarten and a lifetime of learning. The availability of high-quality care is also one of the biggest factors in ensuring a strong workforce. A bill to provide $6 million for programs for kids 5-years-old and under is stuck in the Idaho House. Please encourage your House member to pass SB 1193. This is important legislation for Idaho kids!”
Reflex: The Idaho Freedom Foundation called it “ugly stuff” on social media, claiming the program would (somehow) teach Critical Race Theory to toddlers.
Timmy can’t tie his shoelaces
Jane can’t spell her name
And when both can no longer see color
The IFF will go insane