My Way News - Help Wanted Ads Go Unanswered in WestApparently, there's plenty of people who want to work, but the jobs available pay better than what he's offering.HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The owner of a fast food joint in Montana's booming oil patch found himself outsourcing the drive-thru window to a Texas telemarketing firm, not because it's cheaper but because he can't find workers.
Record low unemployment across parts of the West has created tough working conditions for business owners, who in places are being forced to boost wages or be creative to fill their jobs.
John Francis, who owns the McDonald's in Sidney, Mont., said he tried advertising in the local newspaper and even offered up to $10 an hour to compete with higher-paying oil field jobs. Yet the only calls were from other business owners upset they would have to raise wages, too. Of course, Francis' current employees also wanted a pay hike.
"I don't know what the answer is," Francis said. "There's just nobody around that wants to work."
It's interesting to consider, however - if there's sufficient well-paying jobs around that pay significantly better than the starter jobs, why would a teen start out at the bottom of the ladder instead of a step up? There's nothing magical about low-wage jobs, after all, and no guarantee that you'll always have a labor pool in the sub-$10 pay range.
That there isn't one says a lot about the area's job prospects.
J.