Meat plant workers to Trump: Employees aren't going to show up

[TexasTowelie]

35. What employment?

While there aren't official statistics, the truth is that the unemployment rate is at double digit rates. These workers are considered "unskilled" and some of them are not fluent in English. The jobs that are being created are mostly in the food processing and distribution sectors where social distancing isn't possible and they are also highly vulnerable due to the pandemic. My friend in Austin who is 56 years old and a college degree switched from being an Amazon delivery driver for Whole Foods to an Uber Eats driver because he wasn't making enough money to pay the bills.

I'm filling out job application forms again even though I have almost zero chance of being hired. The number of job listings in the mathematical and IT fields has decreased drastically during the hiatus. I have two other friends with college degrees who are in their fifties that are unemployed--one has been unemployed for seven months, while the other friend took a job back in August 2019 before he decided to quit because his employer was being a flake (thank goodness that his three sons have good jobs as software engineers).

My friends in academia are also concerned as to whether they will hold onto their jobs since they don't know whether students will choose to enroll if they can't step foot on a college campus. Some of the students are contemplating taking a gap year to see how things will settle down. My alma mater saw a 20% drop in their endowment and while they remain in a strong financial condition, they have already cancelled various construction and maintenance projects that would have occurred this summer. While they are maintaining the grounds of the campus and have not laid off any workers, there will come a point where it will be necessary. There isn't much need for a janitorial staff to empty the trash cans in the dorms and offices when the campus is nearly empty. The same applies to the food service workers and bookstore employees because there isn't any demand for their services.

There isn't going to be any green energy development with the price of oil at such decreased levels. Most people are not going to invest in energy efficient systems with the price of energy being so low. Most people won't have the income to convert to green energy programs while surviving on an unemployment check.

Municipalities that went "green" were already backing out of their commitments prior to the pandemic because the prices of green energy were becoming too expensive (e.g., Georgetown, Texas was 100% renewable energy, but backed away because the costs for wind power weren't competitive and they had to hike the price to ratepayers).

Georgetown seeks third-party review of energy management (February 2019)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/107842293

Officials: Georgetown working to improve electric utility finances (November 2019)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/107844995

Once Hailed As A Renewable Mecca, Georgetown Hires Shell To Manage Its Energy Portfolio (December 2019)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/107845139

The economy has cratered and even if all businesses were to reopen at full capacity, the employment prospects for both skilled and unskilled workers are not going to improve very quickly. People that are over 50 years old may have to come to the terms with the fact that they won't ever be employed again or that they will have to take jobs that make only 50% of what they previously earned.