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Old 05-04-2021, 11:44 AM   #55
TheRoBoat
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Default No workers

I’m one of those “living wage guys”, but I don’t think any business owner is going to stay closed during the summer in the Lakes Region because they don’t want to pay their people fairly. That’s just leaving money on the table.

I don’t know SAMIAM, but he hasn’t survived and excelled this long without understanding exactly what he is doing. That probably goes for most business owners around the lake. Things changed. He doesn’t have a seasonal labor pool, and he’s not going to be getting one anytime soon.

Seasonal labor is either going to be homegrown or imported. There is no real homegrown seasonal labor anymore, which arguably focusses on HS and College kids, and young adults having some fun.

In what is actually a demonstration of success, it appears that most HS and college kids around the lake do not need the money that a summer job provides, or they have better alternatives. The “I worked my butt off so my kids don’t have to” situation is very real, everywhere.

That leaves importing labor, which leads to where are they going to live? Is there even a rental market for seasonal labor anymore? The rents for even a single room are and will be astronomical - if available. They can stay home in MA (or any state) and get free food and lodging from the parents and make a lot more money than in NH.

So, in the future, can an economy based on seasonal labor survive? If so, larger corporations are much better suited and positioned to do it than a local owner.
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