I had a conversation with an employee this spring about not getting paid enough to make it in Summit County. This individual pointed out that she could make more money at Wendy's and get a ski pass.
I asked her "Why aren't you working at Wendy's?"
She responded "I would never work at Wendy's, I have a degree."
Well she has a tough choice to make if she feels the way she does. Where does she want to be? What does she want to be doing? How hard is she really willing to work to achieve or get what she wants. Here she has a job yet its not good enough. She is aware of an alternative that she is not willing to consider. Not the same I know yet it is a reflection of the time. The ski industry like many industries has struggled with job loss.
Plenty of the industry is hands on so tough to eliminate however, Human Resources comes to mind and is a hot topic for many. A number of industry leaders have eliminated an in person HR all together everything from the application, interview, on boarding is on line/virtual. Some hiring managers meet their new employee for the first time when they show up after a company orientation. Crazy when you think about what "HR" represents HUMAN...RESOURCES very little human involved. Often you get an email that your application was received and someone will be in contact only to get an email two weeks later telling you you are no longer being considered for the position. How the heck was it decide who would be the better fit for the position. INSANE if you ask me.
A number of sales and reservation jobs have been stream lined when at one time many call centers were filled with resort employees taking lodging, activity and dining reservations now most offices sit half empty, more so because of COVID but you can live in Southern Alabama and work for Vail resorts and never have set foot in Colorado if you have your own computer. Many getting paid the going rate of their communities, less money for the company. I think most folks consider job loss due to technology as going overseas but obviously that is not the case although stereotypical.
I will throw something out there that is more in line with what people think, immigrants taking jobs. As a pre-teen and teenager I was paid a very meager wage, in intolerable heat to de-tassel corn in the corn fields of Iowa. My stint at the grain elevator, not much better. Today you can't pay a white kid from Iowa to do a job immigrant workers are willing to do, kinda like choosing to not work at Wendy's. Still willing to blame job loss though.
A couple additional examples are the steal and textile industries. These industries left this country for a myriad of reasons; produced for less, wages and benefits less, cost of extraction lower in the case of steal and cotton production in other countries then in turn purchased for less for use in this country. Pollution caused a big up roar, "clean water", "clean air" other countries do not have those concerns, yet. You cant alway shave your cake and eat it too. The loss of these industries had encouraged trade with countries able to provide the resource. Some people still bitter about the loss think it will come back. Trump had some believing the steal industry would be back in this country. Ya? No.
It all falls back to the principles of economics crazy as you consider the why of job loss. If it cost less for a company to use an outside resource to do a job else-wear, increasing profits, reducing overhead, improving efficiency why wouldn't they?
Job loss is a horrible thing, I have been through it. Life must continue what are you willing to do?
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