Employment For The 'Unemployable'

I have someone that I talk to whenever I encounter him while walking along a certain section of a nearby street. He's physically strong, capable of doing heavy jobs, and apparently healthy in body. Unfortunately, he's getting on in years, and there is something a tad off about his mental processes. I'm not sure what the condition is that he suffers from, but I would venture to guess that he suffers from some sort of 'intellectual disability'. However, despite all of that, the guy wants to work. He helps out at local businesses along that stretch of street, and gets paid in pizza slices, fluffy white rice, cans of beans, and other meal items. He has a rather full fridge and pantry, and a roommate he doesn't want to share any of it with.

Recently he heard about jobs in baggage-handling at the airport, and tried to snag one. He was told he's too old. When he told me about it, I got pissed off! I am well aware of the problems people with disabilities have finding jobs, as well as people who happen to be over 40. There are so many people around who want to work and need jobs, but can't get hired because they're too old, or have physical or mental disabilities.

Strangely, it was only yesterday morning that I was speaking with my mother about the situation. I pointed out that there are piles of monotonous jobs intellectually challenged people would be happy to do, and could do very well. Even more importantly, they often find those jobs to be personally fulfilling because it gives them responsibilities and makes them feel like they are part of the 'normal' world.

And then, this morning, I came across this story in the local news. Walmart had just announced that it was terminating its employment program for people with intellectual disabilities.

What timing! Did I accidentally gaze into a crystal ball again (these coincidences do seem to happen to me a lot)?

I think it is more a case of the inevitable happening. We've been inundated with false refuges flooding in across our border with the USA, and we've stupidly allowed them to stay while their 'claims' are being processed. With all the refugees coming in, our government has been busy providing companies with ample incentives to hire them. A while back, if you wanted to work at Tim Hortons you'd probably have been shit-out-of-luck. Tim's was taking advantage of a government employment program that put recent Syrian refuges to work in all of their shops. A normal, unsubsidized person didn't stand a chance of getting hired there.

Businesses keep complaining that they can't get people to fill low-level, boring jobs, and governments see immigrants and refugees as a way to fill those jobs while integrating them into our society. But there is already an ample workforce willing to take on those jobs, right here! Unfortunately, companies don't want to hire them because they have disabilities, are over 40, have a spotty work-history, or don't come with some sort of a hefty government subsidy to cover their employment.

It's the war of the subsidies!!!

I can pretty much guess why Walmart is discontinuing its program. Subsidies don't last forever. After a certain amount of time, the employer is expected to hire the 'trainee' on as a regular employee - if they want to. They are not obliged if they can find a reason to toss the person to the curb. A former employer of mine did exactly that to an employee, and then turned around and hired someone else, under-the-table. She wanted the cheap labour, and had absolutely no interest in training the girl with the view of eventually hiring her as a normal employee.

I am guessing that Walmart is doing exactly the same thing. They're pulling out of 'the program', and then, in a few months' time, they'll quietly sign on to another one that they're already eyeing greedily. Another program that gives them more subsidized employees, and probably bigger subsidies at that. My bet is that in few months' time, those jobs will be filled by Haitians 'fleeing Donald Trump', or some other 'refugees'.

And that, my friends, is absolutely disgusting. We already have so many people here who want to work, for whom stocking boxes, cleaning toilets, or working on an assembly line, isn't soul-crushing work. It is work they'd be happy to do, but companies don't want to hire them. That is the first tragedy. The second one is that, instead of encouraging companies to hire the people who are already here, the government provides them with an alternative work-force composed of questionable refugee claimants.

Look at it from the perspective of the company; by the time the government subsidies end, the refugees may have had their cases heard and their claims rejected. Easy-peasy. If the person is tossed out of the country, the company won't have to hire them as a regular employee and pay normal wages. If not, most of the refugees they take on will quit of their own accord.

The intellectually challenged don't quit. And, worse yet, they actually expect to be trained by these companies to work in actual jobs!

Companies want free labour (or at least labour they don't have to pay much for), and the whole thing about training towards a permanent position is a big, heaping, steaming load of bull-crap. Training takes too much time and costs money - particularly when the trainee is mentally slow, or has issues related to conditions such as autism. Only a very few employers are truly interested in keeping these 'trainees' on after the subsidies run out, which is a horrible thing. Those companies that do keep them on often find them to be ideal employees.

Instead of importing labour to do the things companies claim local-born people don't want to, companies need to take a long hard look at themselves and admit that it is them who don't want to hire locals to do those jobs. There a plenty people who may not be young, may not be brilliant, may have a disability, who do want those jobs!

And the government should stop colluding with companies in pretending that these people don't exist.