THE NMI is a remote jurisdiction with a small local population. Labor shortage has been a major concern here since at least the Japanese era. (Japan “solved” the problem by bringing in tens of thousands of Japanese, Okinawan and Korean workers.) Under the U.S.-administered Trust Territory administration, the local economy was miniscule, and the islands’ main “industry” was the government. But even back then, the NMI was already hiring foreigners, especially construction workers.
It seems that not a lot of politicians — and voters — are aware of these historical facts. Here’s another fact: since at least the 1970s, many candidates for office have been assuring us that education, training and similar programs will help “create” the workforce that the local economy needs. Today, many of us, including politicians, are not familiar with these previous programs and how “effective” they were.
Apparently, not a lot of us know that many other countries and jurisdictions with large populations and economies that pay high wage rates are also grappling with labor shortages. They, too, need construction, farm, hotel, restaurant and other service workers — as well as healthcare personnel and caregivers. They, too, are implementing training and education programs to create a more adequate workforce. Meanwhile, they are hiring foreign workers and/or resorting to the latest technology (robots and automation) to somewhat ease their labor crunch.
In the NMI, many politicians are still telling us that “training” and “education” ought to do the trick. They are still telling us that the “lack of training/education” is the main reason why the NMI doesn’t have enough construction workers, hotel/restaurant/service workers, healthcare workers/caregivers.
Somewhere out there is a young man or woman telling himself/herself, “If there was a training program for construction workers, I would not have chosen to go to college and obtain a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree. Oh well. Might as well get a doctorate.”
Right.
Today, the federal minimum wage rate is in effect, and federally approved prevailing wage rates apply to businesses that want to hire foreign workers. But some still believe that “low salary” is the other reason why the NMI lacks construction/service/healthcare workers. So why is it then that the U.S., Japan, Western European and other large and prosperous nations that pay ever rising wages are also facing labor shortages?
Here’s another fact. The persistently “popular” explanation for labor shortages reflects the assumptions of many voters.
oOo
Growing up in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the ambitious among us wanted to be president, astronaut, general, lawyer, doctor, engineer, writer, etc. Today, ask grade-school kids what they want to be when they grow up, and one of the most likely answers is, “YouTuber/TikTok influencer.”
Before you roll your eyes, wring your hands and rue the end of the world as we know it, let me introduce you to “MrBeast.” If you have a child in grade-school you may have heard of him already. MrBeast was 14 years old when he started creating YouTube videos. Since then he has made hundreds of millions of dollars as the fastest rising internet sensation, ever, to quote author Benjamin P. Hardy. As I write this, MrBeast has 111 million subscribers on YouTube and operates a business “with a team of more than 30 people and an annual revenue in excess of $100 million.”
MrBeast went from a teenager “with zero money making videos in his bedroom to being one of the most famous people in the world. Extremely wealthy and business savvy, he aspires to one day become president of the United States.”
Why not?
“On June 15, 2017,” Hardy says, MrBeast “published a video of himself giving $10,000 to a homeless man. Later, he gave $1,000 to 10 different homeless people. On August 15, 2017, he filmed himself donating $10,000 to random Twitch Streamers — people who play video games publicly on the internet…. On August 23, 2017, [he] published a video of himself tipping pizza delivery guys $10,000, and laughing at their overwhelm. He hugged an older man who spoke through his tears about how much the money would impact him and his wife. On August 30, 2017, [he] tipped Uber drivers $10,000.”
Not bad for a kid who didn’t undergo workforce training.
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MrBeast
