Q. and A.: If Workers Are Scarce, Is It the Work or the Wages?
In response to the article, I got an email that said if we were to offer $35 an hour with health care benefits, we would definitely get
people to apply; it said people who were highly qualified applicants with years of experience would probably line up at our door.
Ms. Smith depends on a federal program that gives temporary visas to guest workers — known as H-2B visas —
because she is unable to find Americans to take a seasonal job repairing roofs that pays $17 an hour.
My response is: We would love to be able to offer $35 an hour as starting pay,
but are you in turn willing to pay premium prices for your next roof replacement?
