As the economy continues to shift and with ongoing mass layoffs, finding a job that pays a livable wage can be difficult.
Worker Leanna (@_leannaxo) recently posted a video highlighting one of the difficulties that job hunters have when searching for employment: fielding a position that will cover all of their expenses. The five-second clip video gained over 27,600 views as of Tuesday morning and sparked a conversation about livable wages.
@_leannaxo IN THIS ECONOMY!?!?!?! Issa no from me dawg. I need at least 30 – 40 an hour 😂🙃 #fyp #foryoupage #_leannaxo #relatable #unemployedtok #lifeaftergraduation #jobsearching #welcometomylife #careerswitch ♬ original sound – The office quote.s
“When I’m looking for jobs & they say the salary is 30,000-35,000 a year which equals $18 an hour,” Leanna wrote in the text overlay.
The creator reinforced their frustration in the video’s caption writing, “IN THIS ECONOMY!?!?!?! Issa no from me dawg. I need at least 30-40 an hour.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Leanna via email. In the comments, however, a number of viewers said that jobs paying more than $20 an hour were both hard to come by—and barely enough to get by.
“What century are these employers in? That’s not enough in most rural areas anymore,” one user said.
“I can’t find anything above $15 an hour in my area that doesn’t require a degree,” another wrote.
“Most people are lucky to make $18 an hour full time in most states without a degree. They hardly wanna pay $15,” a third viewer noted.
The job market has changed in the last few years. A combination of factors including soaring college costs, a competitive labor market, and new learning alternatives has caused college degrees to become less valuable. According to the Burning Glass Institute, the percentage of jobs requiring college degrees dropped from 51% in 2017 to 44% in 2021.
While job requirements have shifted, however, over one-third of American jobs still pay minimum wage. Commenters pointed this fact out, arguing that employers need to readjust their ideas of standard pay.
“Literally such a joke that [companies] still offer less than 50k a year. Wake the fck up corporate America,” one user remarked.
“I was like $25 an hour should be a good start. When I run the COL in my area, that’s not even above poverty wages,” another user added.
