News Several character meet and greets to be cut at Walt Disney World as labor shortage continues

[el_super]

It’s been explained 1,000 times on 100 threads are this point.

No. It hasn't.

They’ve pulled some tricks to get labor…but have not gone far enough. They have more than enough financial flexibility to accommodate that.

What tricks? What flexibility?

You want to believe that they have unlimited money to throw at the problem and that if they just committed to paying their hourly performers $30 or $40 dollars an hour the "problem" would be solved? If only every company was as smart as Disney and just raised their wages we wouldn't have any labor shortage at all.

And then at the same time you literally are coming off a thread complaining that Disney doesn't have the financial flexibility to raise theme park admissions to compensate?

So again, what magic gives Disney the ability to offer unlimited services, while also charging nothing for it?

 

[Andrew C]

It's almost like there's a nationwide labor shortage that has nothing to do with The Walt Disney Company or locals in Central Florida.

Here's one from the Left and one from the Right so you can pick your poison.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/09/16/worker-shortage-strikes-economy/

America is facing an unprecedented worker shortage. Here are 3 things we can do to fix it

Unprecedented worker shortage is causing problems throughout US economy. Here are three ways we can fix it – from legislation to fewer licensing mandates.

www.foxnews.com

It is affecting so many industries...including mine.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It is affecting so many industries...including mine.

No no, it's a conspiracy by Chapek to bone the guests.

 

[Andrew C]

No no, it's a conspiracy by Chapek to bone the guests.

LOL. I can think of quite a few things that makes me mad at Bob. The labor shortage isn't one of them.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It is affecting so many industries...including mine.

LOL. I can think of quite a few things that makes me mad at Bob. The labor shortage isn't one of them.

Is your industry using unskilled, full time labor?

 

[fgmnt]

There are two intractable economic pressures Disney themselves can’t easily solve: nationwide shifts in labor motivations and statewide cost of living explosion.

Across the country, there has yet to be a complete acceptance in a shift of the workforce. A lot of people died or became permanently disabled in the last 2 years. A lot of people who bore witness to this may have chosen to retire early. Maybe others have permanently left the workforce or changed their jobs to better care for someone affected by covid. New jobs were also created over the last two years. Say what you will about working for amazon fulfillment, one of the more obvious benefits of working there over a role in front-facing customer service is that you are no longer are forced to deal with increasingly miserable psychos and wannabe viral stars harassing and recording you at your job. The amount of money Disney would have to pay to overcome that kind of benefit can change entire economic motivations of an activity like a character meet and greet. If you’re attractive enough to be a face character for Disney, there’s even a small chance you can spin that into a Patreon or slightly spicier platform. Make all of your own money and set your own hours.

In Florida under governor DeSantis, the state has become one of the most inhospitable places to live for wage earners. Miami is now the most unaffordable place to live in the country. There is pretty much no way one can be a member of the unskilled labor force in an city in Florida without having unfettered access to a car, a large expense when you make $30k a year. Meanwhile, a pressure on this increase in CoL comes in part from a lot of people immigrating into Florida not working jobs that require Florida residency; they’re all email jobs, crypto scammers, aspiring lifestyle vloggers, etc. Disney could solve these problems by making earnest inroads with affordable housing on the perimeter of their real estate, but seeing the outright scam they are running with college program housing nowadays, i can’t see that happening.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

There are two intractable economic pressures Disney themselves can’t easily solve: nationwide shifts in labor motivations and statewide cost of living explosion.

Across the country, there has yet to be a complete acceptance in a shift of the workforce. A lot of people died or became permanently disabled in the last 2 years. A lot of people who bore witness to this may have chosen to retire early. Maybe others have permanently left the workforce or changed their jobs to better care for someone affected by covid. New jobs were also created over the last two years. Say what you will about working for amazon fulfillment, one of the more obvious benefits of working there over a role in front-facing customer service is that you are no longer are forced to deal with increasingly miserable psychos and wannabe viral stars harassing and recording you at your job. The amount of money Disney would have to pay to overcome that kind of benefit can change entire economic motivations of an activity like a character meet and greet. If you’re attractive enough to be a face character for Disney, there’s even a small chance you can spin that into a Patreon or slightly spicier platform. Make all of your own money and set your own hours.

In Florida under governor DeSantis, the state has become one of the most inhospitable places to live for wage earners. Miami is now the most unaffordable place to live in the country. There is pretty much no way one can be a member of the unskilled labor force in an city in Florida without having unfettered access to a car, a large expense when you make $30k a year. Meanwhile, a pressure on this increase in CoL comes in part from a lot of people immigrating into Florida not working jobs that require Florida residency; they’re all email jobs, crypto scammers, aspiring lifestyle vloggers, etc. Disney could solve these problems by making earnest inroads with affordable housing on the perimeter of their real estate, but seeing the outright scam they are running with college program housing nowadays, i can’t see that happening.

Now this is well thought and reasonable. Thank you.

 

[Ayla]

No. This labor shortage is drastically increasing onboarding costs (recruiting/training/retention). The price increases might not even cover the true cost of the labor shortage, and if anything, they might need to raise prices again in order to drastically reduce attendance to allow for more Main Entrance Pass availability as another retention tool.

Isn't "training" like half a day now?

 

[cranbiz]

Isn't "training" like half a day now?

I thought it was a day for Traditions now. Whatever it is, it's not what it was 16 years ago when I went through Traditions. Role training is shorter now also, even in buses. This is a big issue as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I thought it was a day for Traditions now. Whatever it is, it's not what it was 16 years ago when I went through Traditions. Role training is shorter now also, even in buses. This is a big issue as far as I'm concerned.

16?!…you should see 25…or 30

 

[MadderAdder]

I wonder if reintroducing dining characters and Fantasmic! has impacted this, hopefully temporarily?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Bloody Mary's before noon count as breakfast.

So does 3 fingers of Macallan

 

[thomas998]

"Sorry kids, if you want to see characters, we'll have to pay an additional $80 per person for a dismal buffet meal."

I kind of see this as one of the reason they are cutting the free meet and greets. Instead of charging to do a meet and greet outright they just mash it into bad buffets and then most customers don't realize how they are being screwed over yet again.

I don't buy the labor shortage because it is only a shortage when you don't pay enough and given their continual increase of tickets and other fees they are simply making a conscious decision to raise revenue while holding labor cost down to increase profits.

 

[matt9112]

Are there any other outside factors also not being considered here? Labor market moving out of Florida? Hurricane impacts? Health considerations against working in one of the most touchy-feely positions?

??? People are moving to Florida in droves still…. I think for most people Rona is over. Sure some are still very careful but I think most people realize it’s an inherent risk of leaving your house.

 

[Lilofan]

??? People are moving to Florida in droves still…. I think for most people Rona is over. Sure some are still very careful but I think most people realize it’s an inherent risk of leaving your house.

Perhaps moving to FL to retire, not to go after those high paying wages.

 

[matt9112]

There are two intractable economic pressures Disney themselves can’t easily solve: nationwide shifts in labor motivations and statewide cost of living explosion.

Across the country, there has yet to be a complete acceptance in a shift of the workforce. A lot of people died or became permanently disabled in the last 2 years. A lot of people who bore witness to this may have chosen to retire early. Maybe others have permanently left the workforce or changed their jobs to better care for someone affected by covid. New jobs were also created over the last two years. Say what you will about working for amazon fulfillment, one of the more obvious benefits of working there over a role in front-facing customer service is that you are no longer are forced to deal with increasingly miserable psychos and wannabe viral stars harassing and recording you at your job. The amount of money Disney would have to pay to overcome that kind of benefit can change entire economic motivations of an activity like a character meet and greet. If you’re attractive enough to be a face character for Disney, there’s even a small chance you can spin that into a Patreon or slightly spicier platform. Make all of your own money and set your own hours.

In Florida under governor DeSantis, the state has become one of the most inhospitable places to live for wage earners. Miami is now the most unaffordable place to live in the country. There is pretty much no way one can be a member of the unskilled labor force in an city in Florida without having unfettered access to a car, a large expense when you make $30k a year. Meanwhile, a pressure on this increase in CoL comes in part from a lot of people immigrating into Florida not working jobs that require Florida residency; they’re all email jobs, crypto scammers, aspiring lifestyle vloggers, etc. Disney could solve these problems by making earnest inroads with affordable housing on the perimeter of their real estate, but seeing the outright scam they are running with college program housing nowadays, i can’t see that happening.

You make some good points. All issues a lot of expensive places are dealing with (the Miami point) California and New York have similar problems…remote work is a great alternative and to be frank being forward facing should have some kind of incentive attached to it vs working from your living room in Montana.

 

[el_super]

??? People are moving to Florida in droves still…. I think for most people Rona is over. Sure some are still very careful but I think most people realize it’s an inherent risk of leaving your house.

Would it not go to reason, that the ones with the financial means to move to Florida, are not the ones seeking character performer roles at a theme park?

I hear housing costs have skyrocketed around Orlando. Inflation can also be a factor.

It could also be that people don't want to seek a position where one has to be around children for any number of potential reasons.

 

[matt9112]

Would it not go to reason, that the ones with the financial means to move to Florida, are not the ones seeking character performer roles at a theme park?

I hear housing costs have skyrocketed around Orlando. Inflation can also be a factor.

It could also be that people don't want to seek a position where one has to be around children for any number of potential reasons.

The same problems any big city faces…..the wealthy drive housing costs to the moon but still expect somebody to wash there car or make there burger.

 

[SplashJacket]

Crazy that Minnie doesn't even wanna work for the mouse

 

[Schweino]

No no, it's a conspiracy by Chapek to bone the guests.

Can you purchase an ILL for this?