There's a really complex dance going on. In 2021/2022, people just needed workers. Signs were up saying they'd get sign-on bonuses and get paid $14 or $16 .. but at the same time, they needed to keep workers who were getting $11/$12 before Scamdemic-flation.

You hire someone for $15 just to fill a spot and all your $11 are like "Why are they getting $4/more when I've been loyal." So they leave. A lot of these owners can't afford to hire someone else at that price, so they gotta squeeze people for more hours. People who leave quickly find out that $15 at the new place ... also are asked to work 50~60 hours/week. They need the money, because inflation is insane. (hence this is why you have that screenshot of the person getting fired for discussing income ... shitty, but that's why).

In the small town I lived in last year, I knew gas station owners who were working 80+ hours a week because they couldn't find staff they could afford. Remember: low unemployment is really good for workers. Smaller pool meaning shops need to pay a good price. But with the jumbled up scamdemic+inflation, you have a weird people shuffle that kept driving up wages .. wages a lot of shop owners couldn't actually afford (because unemployment was actually high), leaving them understaffed and just picking up the work themselves to keep the business afloat until they could afford workers again.

They cycle is just gonna get worse, because the current market isn't remotely natural. It's been propped up by printing money, reducing limits to unemployment and devaluation across the board. Now Former Vice President Biden has hired a small army of IRS agents and dropped the hobby income ceiling from $10k all the way down to $600, and wants everyone from Venmo, Cashapp and PayPal to report the same crap Square and Credit Card processors report! His handlers make him say he's going after the rich, but really this is part one of individual social credit scores (use more cash and Craigslist kids!)

Anecdotal: my HVAC just went out a month ago. I got a tech recommended by a friend (actually a high school classmate's dad). HVAC was almost 20 yeas old and had holes in the heat ex changer, but I was able to get a replacement that week and he had a crew of three for the install. They were fast, and also seemed to have other jobs lined up. 🤷‍♂️