Been trying to make a living now for about 35 years. And succeeding.
And I have learned a few things.
Started out as an itinerant piano teacher. Pretty soon I had 27 students. Then I decided to raise my rates and pretty soon I had fewer students.
Then I got involved in apartment management
first as an employee
later as an owner
We always stay full. When we have a vacant unit we do what it takes.
Sometimes it means a lot of refurbishment.
But really it is always about the price.
With a reasonable price we always stay full. Prices do fluctuate and sometimes we get more and sometimes less.
Recently we are getting less. But we are still full. I don't mind cutting my prices aggressively. What I mind is having a vacant apartment.
I read how the unemployment rate in LA County is at an all time high of 13%.
Why would this be any different from my experience?
Why would supply and demand theory not apply to the labor market?
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2 comments:
I think a lot of it has to do with people being unwilling to work for less, and/or unwilling to fight for more. In many of my classes we have touched on, or talked about how it is cheaper for companies to outsource jobs overseas to places where the workers get so little for the work they put in that they just barely survive. Maybe we all need to change our ethic?
It is a choice between getting paid less, but having cheaper stuff in stores, or getting paid more, but having fewer/more expensive items. However, we need to support the workers in other countries, not just blame them.
This is one reason I don't like BIG BRANDS... but it's SO hard to avoid them... and just look at the mess w/Africa about the road to ship metal from Tanzania... so... the solution is to use LESS... not buy more... and we need to tell the people who make the stuff we buy that we care where it comes from, who makes it, and what effect it has on our world. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!! So we should stand up, and tell them WE WANT TO KNOW!!! :)
I don't know how much workers are paid in other countries. But unless they are slaves, I think they have choices and would not work unless it was worth it to work.
(just barely survive)
Many poor countries have rapidly growing populations. Egypt is a good example. You could argue that rich countries with low fertility are actually not doing as well as "poor" countries with very high fertility and growing populations.
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