Disney Labor Shortage

[Corgi]

If and when the government stops giving away money the labor shortages will start to evaporate.

Well, Florida already cut off federal unemployment, so maybe that will have an effect.

 

[Ayla]

Well, Florida already cut off federal unemployment, so maybe that will have an effect.

It's been almost a month. Has it made any difference?

 

[Lilofan]

If and when the government stops giving away money the labor shortages will start to evaporate.

When some were laid off in companies last year and collected unemployment and or severance some had moved out of state . Some dis use the govt money to help pay for their relocation .

 

[AEfx]

When some were laid off in companies last year and collected unemployment and or severance some had moved out of state . Some dis use the govt money to help pay for their relocation .

This is where the cycle "broke" in Orlando.

Orlando, specifically Disney and Universal, have always depended on the semi-transient 20'somthings who think it would be fun to move to FL for a few years, do the roommate thing, work at the theme parks, and then after 3, 5, maybe even 10 years, they move on and either go back where they came from, or go somewhere new.

In the past, there have always been enough of these folks coming in to offset those that leave and move on.

That is not the case now - that cycle has been interrupted. Many people left and moved on during the pandemic, and there aren't people rushing to move to Florida to work in hot theme parks with tourists from who-knows-where for low wage jobs.

This is showing itself in the labor market all over, but it is hurting Orlando in particular with the theme parks because they depended on this cycle so heavily to stay staffed all these years.

This was already a problem, but like many things - COVID just sped it up considerably.

 

[Lilofan]

This is where the cycle "broke" in Orlando.

Orlando, specifically Disney and Universal, have always depended on the semi-transient 20'somthings who think it would be fun to move to FL for a few years, do the roommate thing, work at the theme parks, and then after 3, 5, maybe even 10 years, they move on and either go back where they came from, or go somewhere new.

In the past, there have always been enough of these folks coming in to offset those that leave and move on.

That is not the case now - that cycle has been interrupted. Many people left and moved on during the pandemic, and there aren't people rushing to move to Florida to work in hot theme parks with tourists from who-knows-where for low wage jobs.

This is showing itself in the labor market all over, but it is hurting Orlando in particular with the theme parks because they depended on this cycle so heavily to stay staffed all these years.

This was already a problem, but like many things - COVID just sped it up considerably.

May not be rushing back to work but try to find an available apt in Orlando at a reasonable cost. That doesn't exist. Having a " side hustle" job on the side can get some earnings come their way.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

Here is a hypothetical thought experiment...

Pay every WDW employee $120 per hour. Would there be a labor shortage? Probably not.

Now, this is clearly silly... but it points out that are no "Labor shortages". We are just haggling over the price of labor .

 

[Lilofan]

Here is a hypothetical thought experiment...

Pay every WDW employee $120 per hour. Would there be a labor shortage? Probably not.

Now, this is clearly silly... but it points out that are no "Labor shortages". We are just haggling over the price of labor .

Pay them more but customers need to face the fact to pay more, increased labor costs get passed to the consumer. That's business 101.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

Pay them more but customers need to face the fact to pay more, increased labor costs get passed to the consumer. That's business 101.

Absolutely true .

 

[Heppenheimer]

Pay them more but customers need to face the fact to pay more, increased labor costs get passed to the consumer. That's business 101.

Not to mention triggering a huge inflation in rental costs.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Don't forget WDW's and the US's in general dependence on an immigrant and international labor force that is not in place right now.

 

[Jrb1979]

Don't forget WDW's and the US's in general dependence on an immigrant and international labor force that is not in place right now.

Maybe its time US citizens start doing some hard labor. I can't say much as in Canada we have to same issue with farming. Most Canadians don't want to do it so we hire out of country to do it.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Maybe its time US citizens start doing some hard labor. I can't say much as in Canada we have to same issue with farming. Most Canadians don't want to do it so we hire out of country to do it.

I'm Fedexing you your government issued pick axe.

 

[skypilot2922]

Part of Disney’s hiring problem was how they crapped on the WDW workforce basically firing everyone including seasonal snowbirds who had precisely zero hours scheduled with no benefits except perhaps for a employee discount so it cost literally pennies to leave them on the payroll but no they got whacked too. Contrast this to DL where workers were kept on or furloughed.

Not a lot of people are going to want to come back when Disney calls and their poor treatment of their workforce will poison the well for WDW hiring for a decade at least.

 

[Lilofan]

Part of Disney’s hiring problem was how they crapped on the WDW workforce basically firing everyone including seasonal snowbirds who had precisely zero hours scheduled with no benefits except perhaps for a employee discount so it cost literally pennies to leave them on the payroll but no they got whacked too. Contrast this to DL where workers were kept on or furloughed.

Not a lot of people are going to want to come back when Disney calls and their poor treatment of their workforce will poison the well for WDW hiring for a decade at least.

You are aware that snowbirds are also elderly working for Disney right? Elderly working during a pandemic? Not a smart idea..

 

[Lilofan]

Maybe its time US citizens start doing some hard labor. I can't say much as in Canada we have to same issue with farming. Most Canadians don't want to do it so we hire out of country to do it.

Not going to happen. Manual hard labor is a foreign word.

 

[skypilot2922]

You are aware that snowbirds are also elderly working for Disney right? Elderly working during a pandemic? Not a smart idea..

Did you get the point here????, the snowbirds have ZERO scheduled hours unless they specifically ask to work. Some of them worked every other year. So it cost NOTHING to keep them on the payroll and they were never at risk.

Yet Chapek and Iger wanted to show Wall St that they were willing to make ‘the tough decisions’ by firing people who cost the company nothing unless extra labor was needed during peak periods.

the whole point of the so called covid shutdown was to massively reduce ‘headcount’ at WDW.

The guests are paying for the consequences of this decision big time these days.

 

[Lilofan]

Did you get the point here????, the snowbirds have ZERO scheduled hours unless they specifically ask to work. Some of them worked every other year. So it cost NOTHING to keep them on the payroll and they were never at risk.

Yet Chapek and Iger wanted to show Wall St that they were willing to make ‘the tough decisions’ by firing people who cost the company nothing unless extra labor was needed during peak periods.

the whole point of the so called covid shutdown was to massively reduce ‘headcount’ at WDW.

The guests are paying for the consequences of this decision big time these days.

Chapek and Iger compensation is tied into the company stock price and to impress Wall Street . That is CEO 101 of any publicly traded company.

 

[skypilot2922]

Chapek and Iger compensation is tied into the company stock price and to impress Wall Street . That is CEO 101 of any publicly traded company.

The CEO’s responsibility is to act in the best interest of the company. It was the fraudster Michael Milliken who redefined that to mean ‘short term profit’ at all costs including long term health of business.

Amazon’s CEO understands this and his top line revenue increases reflect this.

Whist Disney increases profits top line is relatively flat.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

it does not...

that’s an understandable, but lazy take. Saying “poor people collecting checks getting rich” is about the biggest red herring in American labor history.

it’s hard to track polling/labor studies because they are so subject to bias...but those that are trying to analyze this are coming up with a much bigger problem than supplemental UE. There’s something going on that’s much different and dangerous to the powers that be...

what they’re finding is that many “don’t want to go back into their box”. Covid flipped a switch economists didn’t really believe was there.

it’s not the money...it’s a reactionary opinion of being in a service economy now.

opinions vary...but this is real problem that won’t go away if you end unemployment. So people are forced back to T.G.I. Friday’s or else? Pandora’s box may have been opened here. Lasting side effect.

In a rare occurrence…I just want to point out how WELL this has aged

 

[jloucks]

In a rare occurrence…I just want to point out how WELL this has aged

Having a little trouble getting the wage slaves back in their shackles are we?