In Wichita we can't find felons willing to work for less than $12/Hr. The business jet manufacturers are sweeping the streets for drunks to come beat rivets in their plants for $15+ great benefits. Our local economy is so good it sucks to have to compete for the few unemployable workers left. I kid you not, I hired a murderer a couple months back and just recently had to draw the line at hiring a sex-offender. Don't tell me the economy is doing poorly. Wichita has a record backlog of business jet orders, and the business jet orders are the first thing to get cut from the budget in a downturn. The aviation industry will always head into the recession first and pull out last, and right now we're flying high! Some of our investors are so full of cash they are asking us if we could possibly use any more. I don't ever remember it being this way in the last decade I've been a company owner. If this is a bad economy we'll be seriously screwed if it gets better because there is nobody to hire who is not already working for someone else. Seriously if a homeless guy showed up in Wichita with a "will work for food" sign there would be a traffic jam as people got out of their trucks and tried to hire the dude. I'm not feeling it either. Anybody out there willing to do manual labor for 8-10$/Hr. with HSA, and relocate to Wichita, KS? We have openings!
A huge problem is that many people who live in somewhat depressed areas (Michigan) expect to stay put and the jobs come to them. As you pointed out about Wichita the jobs are there. Or other places. But people have to be willing to relocate. I’ve passed large buildings in the Twin Cities that had huge signs on the sides advertising for workers with their starting pay ($15.00) on them.