The Family and I made a trek into the wilds of Western New York's Southern Tier today. Nothing really to say about that, except that if one sees one of those omnipresent "dollar stores" decked out with giant banners indicating a "Clearance Sale" -- well, setting aside the troubling thought that things are so bad in that town that a friggin' dollar store can't make it, how does a friggin' dollar store do a "Clearance Sale", anyway? All items for fifty cents? Can they even call themselves a Dollar Store if they do this?
On a more positive (and more serious) note about economic matters, I read in today's Syracuse Post-Standard that the Central New York region is facing a labor crunch. More firms are apparently planning to hire this month than this same month a year ago; the region has added more jobs this month than the same month a year ago; and employers may find that hiring is actually more difficult now as the work-force shrinks (apparently due to the retirement of baby boomers, a trend which will only accelerate in the coming years). Maybe someone out there who knows more than I about economics can say something more about this, but it seems to me a pretty good sign, right?
The personal blog of author Kelly Sedinger, chronicling the adventures of one overalls-clad wanderer.
3 comments:
I think it depends on a lot of things before yuo cansay good nes or bad news. For example, are the hirings new jobs, or are they just replacing retirees? If so, are they refilling every position that retires, or just most of them? Or are they replacing those that fled to better economic conditions?
If they're replacing those that retire, you can bet the new folks won't make what the retirees were making leaving less (or about the same, if the retirees stick around.) disposable income in the community.
It does say they're adding jobs, so that is (I think) a net positive for the region.
Good Lord my typing is terrible!! No more commenting before coffee.
And what kind of jobs? If they are desperate for new, higher-paying jobs, and you have an in-migration to fill them (or some formerly underemployed people in the area can fill them), then that would be good. If the Wal-Mart comes in and takes that person who had been making $20/hour, and provides a $7.50/hour job, not so much.
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