Companies in the US pay up to $10,000 to get hired

In the United States, it is often jobs that are chasing people. In a scenario where there are plenty of jobs and a lack of interested workers, the bosses are the ones who need to fight.

Offers come even for those who are not looking. In the mailboxes, a supermarket flyer does not bring offers, but lists the advantages of working there: competitive salary, health and retirement plans, flexible schedule and career plan.

“Join our family. Every position in the store is important. This is not just a job — people really love coming to work here”, promises a message signed by Patrick Casey, manager of Wegmans supermarket, which will have a new unit in Washington.

By text message on his cell phone, Amazon advertises vacancies to work in a distribution center. The salary starts at US$ 22 (R$ 117) per hour and there is a hiring bonus of US$ 3,000 (R$ 15,983). If the new employee is vaccinated against Covid, he earns another US$ 100 (R$ 532). To apply for the vacancy, simply answer “Y”, for “yes” (yes) and apply.

On TV, the retail giant runs commercials in which it does not sell products, but highlights the story of a former warehouse worker who became a nurse. The message is that Amazon can help employees pay for their education and thus fulfill their dreams.

In Florida, carrier Penske offers a $10,000 hiring bonus to truck drivers who accept a vacancy. The base salary is US$1,200 (R$ 6,393) per week, plus benefits. Employees who refer new colleagues to work can receive an additional US$ 5,000 (R$ 26,639) as a gift.

In cafes and fast food restaurants, job advertisements compete for space with pictures of food. At McDonalds, there are “We’re Hiring” notices printed on the cup, tray paper, and tax receipt.

At chains like Starbucks and Wawa, there are posters on the door, highlighting the salary and perks of working there, such as free coffee and study aid. Experience in most roles is not required, including barista.

Corporate stocks are a response to the phenomenon dubbed the “Great Resignation”: the great resignation. Throughout 2021, around 4 million people a month resigned from their jobs, and many of them are in no hurry to return. Thus, the labor market account does not close: 10.9 million vacancies were opened (most of them to replace layoffs) in December, but only 6.3 million were hired.

In January, the expansion of employment remained firm, even with the rise in Covid cases, in a sign that the economic recovery remains robust. 467 thousand new jobs were created in the month, increasing the need for interested parties.

“There is less than one person available per open position: the average is at 0.76 worker/vacancy. It is the lowest rate ever recorded, and it continues to fall”, points out Curtis Dubay, senior economist at the US Chamber, one of the main associations country’s businesses.

The entity points out that 94% of its affiliates report difficulties in hiring. “When businesses don’t have enough employees, they are forced to cut working hours, downsize and, in the worst cases, close down for good,” Dubay points out.

“We’re doing everything we can to attract employees. We use more than one employment agency, and online resources to advertise jobs. And we’re offering a lot more flexibility than before,” says Traci Tapani, co-president at Wyoming Machine, a Minnesota.

One of the changes was to increase the number of part-time vacancies, with more negotiable scales, something less frequent in industries.

There are several reasons for the lack of workers. Many fear contaminating themselves with Covid, especially when having contact with the public. With the closure of schools and day care centers, adults had to stay at home with their children. Americans who were close to retirement anticipated exiting the market.

“Due to the increase in government aid during the pandemic, the gap between the financial benefits of working and not working has narrowed, which has encouraged workers to stay out of the market,” says Ernie Goss, a professor at Creighton University in Arizona.

“In ‘great resignation’ there are two streams: one of people who left in search of another job with a better salary, and another related to the search for better living conditions, such as a job that brings greater personal fulfillment”, evaluates Erin Cech, sociologist and professor at the University of Michigan.

Cech did a study of 1,628 college-educated Americans who lost their jobs or were laid off during the pandemic. Of them, 46% said that the search for meaning and personal fulfillment became the main reason for accepting or not accepting a job. Only 20% said that salary would be the main reason, and 13% pointed to stability in the role.

“People are reassessing their notion of what good work means, in a much more holistic way. And the changes they expect from companies, such as improving the environment and relationships at work, can take decades to implement,” he says.

The researcher considers that the search for jobs that bring a purpose is not something new: the movement has gained strength among American university students since the 1980s, motivated by a cultural tendency towards individualism and the precariousness of the job market.

“With deregulation and globalization, white-collar work is no longer as stable as it once was. You have to work long hours and be available to your boss 24 hours a day. Young people look at this and think ‘if this is going to be my life, so I better do something I love’.”

Cech is the author of “The Trouble with Passion”, a book that details how the search for a dream job promotes social inequality.

She gives as an example the story of a young woman who left medical school and went to work in an unpaid internship at a video production company for YouTube. The young woman couldn’t get a steady job in the area and was left with student credit debt from the college she dropped out of.

“Last time I spoke to her, she was working as a freelancer for a production company, but only a few days a month. She was earning $150 a day worked, but she said she was happy with the decision, to be able to go behind what I liked”, said the researcher.

Many young people have been posting videos about resigning from jobs they don’t like, and several have tried to make them the start of a career as digital influencers.

In recent videos, many also play around with job change scenes. “Boss, I got an offer to earn 35% more,” says an employee in a skit. “Ok, I’ll offer you a 5% raise”, counters the superior. “That doesn’t even cover inflation. I’m leaving.”

Although companies are increasing wages, inflation has risen at a faster pace, which in practice cancels out the gains. In 2021, wages rose an average of 4.7%, while consumer prices rose 7%.

However, areas such as restaurants and leisure (13.4% increase in salary) and transport (10.4%) had gains above the price increase.

“As inflation remains high, workers will increasingly consider price increases when asking for a raise. In 2022, wage and benefit growth is expected to be slower than prices, but in 2023 and 2024 earnings should keep growing even if inflation decreases” projects Goss.

Nick Bunker, director of economic research at Indeed, a job posting website, agrees that workers will continue to have great bargaining power in 2022, and points out that changes in the job market are connected to the unfolding pandemic.

“A large share of jobs [em 2021] came from sectors that were released [das restrições] with the arrival of the vaccine, such as leisure, accommodation and personal services. If much of the jump in demand for workers is due to the reopening of activities, at some point the economy will be fully reopened and the vacancies available may be reduced”, he ponders.