I have been hearing a lot of people complaining lately that businesses are closing because they can’t find workers. I’ve heard those same people comment “People just don’t want to work anymore” and I think it’s pretty close-minded and unfair of them to say.

Yes, some folks don’t want to work. Those are the same people who soak up everything they can get out of every type of assistance available to them, even though they can work. But on the other hand, considering the damage done to all of us by the pandemic, some folks just need extra help. Some families are in great need of shelter, food, and clothing; our basic human necessities. In many cases, having a full-time job doesn’t pay them enough to meet those basic needs so they turn to SNAP, Medicaid, cash aid, or some other assistance program. Can you honestly blame them if they can take better care of their families on assistance programs rather than working a full-time job for minimal pay? I’d do the same thing if I had to. Wouldn’t you do the same in order to take care of your family? Your children? The fact is, if employers would pay their employees a living wage, then maybe they wouldn’t be losing employees and face closing.

Here’s something to consider: A single mother with two children earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour needs to work 235 hours per week, the equivalent of almost six full-time minimum-wage jobs, to make a living wage. (Taken from the Massachusets Institution of Technology, A Calculation of the Living Wage, May 2022.) Doesn’t she deserve better? Shouldn’t she be able to take advantage of any assistance programs available to her?

Unless you have experienced the same issues as those you complain about, you will never understand their hardship. There are many things to consider before bitching and passing judgment on others. I have written about this before. You can read it here.