| Are you sure? Here's a real example: you can work as an electrician on a mine site here in Australia on a fly-in, fly-out ("FIFO") basis. Typical rosters are 11/3 (days on/off), 2/1 (weeks on/off), etc. You work through weekends when you are on, and often do ~12-13 hour days. Food is good, beds aren't bad, Internet connectivity is 'passable' and the weather is extremely hot. Many of these jobs pay (substantially!) more than what an electrical designer or electrical engineer may make - e.g. the ones providing a design, drawings or specifications to the electrical contractors. Many designers & engineers hold their relevant tickets or certs—or could quickly obtain one—in order to be an electrician on these sites. So why would anyone still want to be a designer or engineer? Quality of life, quality of work (mental engagement), transport/commute, safety, overall career progression, etc. It therefore does not surprise me that people aren't scrambling to pick fruit for hours per day. |
Because the other, tough job, doesn't pay enough. People prefer the easy, fun job that pays enough.
edit: This is so obvious that everyone who makes the argument that Americans won't take jobs always elides over the exact number of the pay difference as if it isn't the most important factor. This article is pretty great because it doesn't. It makes clear that they're paying a pittance, which due to legislation has become a significantly larger pittance over the past 30 years, massively improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable people.
How many children got a winter coat because people paid an extra 50 cents for a bottle of wine?