[genocidicbunny]

Right, so we agree that fundamentally, this is a pay shortage.

That's exactly the point everyone is trying to make to you. That ultimately most labor shortages, unless caused by extremely rapid change in conditions (such as a law being introduced with only weeks notice that dramatically changes the regulatory landscape with no time to adapt) are usually pay shortages.

Labor shortage has long been used as a weasel phrase to imply that it's the fault of the workers/labor that companies can't fill positions. That's what the pushback is on. If your business can't find enough workers, you or your industry aren't offering enough financial incentive to have people work for you. You need to offer more money. And if you can't because it's not financially viable? Well...seems the free market has spoken and said that your business is not viable anymore. As the kids say these days, 'sucks to suck'.

[mcculley]

I fully agree that the industry does not price the labor correctly. This is one reason why I am selling the company and reallocating the capital.

There are many funded projects not executing for lack of captains today. The captains I manage to hire leave other companies wanting. How is that not a shortage?

[genocidicbunny]

It's a shortage, no one is disputing that. But it's not a shortage of labor. It's a shortage of pay. Phrasing it as alabor shortage is a problem.

[mcculley]

There are X projects funded right now that need captains. These projects need roughly 2X captains. There are, right now, Y licensed captains. Y < 2X. More pay today does not make Y == 2X today.

I agree that this shortage could have been avoided.

[badpun]

> There are many funded projects not executing for lack of captains today.

Perhaps those projects are just not viable economically, because they can't pay enough to attract the captains. Or, the owners are too rigid to pay (for example) $500k salary to a captain.

[mcculley]

Yes, obviously. For example, there is a bridge construction project that is delayed by lack of qualified labor. I am sure they can rebid the project and hire labor currently employed on other construction projects, delaying those projects instead.

That is still a shortage. There is a finite number of licensed captains with Master of Towing endorsement who are legally allowed to work on U.S. flag vessels. You cannot make a new licensed captain with just money. It takes time.

I completely agree that shortages can be fixed with good planning, which industry and the U.S. government did not do.

I also completely agree that when using unskilled labor, one can just apply more money to attract labor. Skilled labor requires more than money to acquire.