It's not that simple. I'm sure the entry level cops make 40k. I remember before I graduated college in 2014 looking at some police positions in my town, and they were starting $32-35k after completing the academy. $32k-35k to get shot at and deal with the scum of society? No thanks. You can make 50-60k entry level just working from home for an insurance company like I did right out of college.One of countless examples, let's take Walmart. $110k for a truck driver, $200k for a general manager. That's wonderful, imho above industry standard. Yet they have started layoffs. To me, simply upping pay isn't how one attracts great workers. I suppose I'm fortunate, I would say I'm overpaid at my job. I'm loyal, don't even have a CV, and keep on chugging. But there are folks at my co with 30-50 years tenure, so I'm not alone (I have 12). I've seen 70 y.o people leave my co., and come back a few years later. While my employer does a lot right? Our benefits su**. I was happy as a clam until my wife left the workforce and I had to pick up healthcare. Since Walmart among others can't find truck drivers, should they look in the mirror and increase the pay? My town has patrolman making $170k and it's not easy to hire cops. Up the pay?
Maybe the issue is actually unsolvable, like puzzles we were given in HS where one piece of info was missing. Oh another example of my lousy benefits lol I received documentation that I had to do deferred compensation, not 401k (lopsided). I felt I would be losing about 20k/yr but had no choice, then in the 11th hour no longer had to and OK to remain in 401k. some of you would say how can you work for such a co that's bizarre
The issue in my opinion is that there are so many boomers retiring, or holding on to high salaries that companies aren't able to hire new employees at a competitive wage. Hear me out, I'm not blaming boomers at all, it's just because there is a much larger percentage of that age range retiring or staying in the workforce longer than ever before. Add in that you have unsustainable retirement packages (full salary pensions) and every state agency, municipality, or company who offered that is going broke. My grandfather is 82. He retired at 55 with a pension that pays his full salary along with cost of living increases. He has made more during the years he has been retired than over the entire course of his working life.
In my department we have a lady who is 77 and still working. She does absolutely nothing besides walk around and talk to people, she makes $189k a year, because the pay structure has allowed her to get to that level based on longevity. There is no incentive for her to retire. Good for her, but her department also can't afford to hire another secretary besides a part-time student for $10/hr. We also have professors who recently retired, they get a full pension. They then come back and teach part-time for a few months to make even more money on top of their pension, and the department wonders why they can't find anyone with a PhD to replace that professor for $42k a year. You can't offer starting salaries that don't keep up with inflation and expect people to come running to your job. My dad started in an entry level position at the University I work at currently back in 1986 making $32k a year. That same position just opened up a few months ago... $36k a year.
The math just doesn't work and organizations are finding that out the hard way.
