Are there *really* jobs that Americans "don't want to do?"

[ecstatic]

I get so irritated when I hear people say that illegal immigrants are doing jobs that no American wants to do. There is not a job that Americans won't do--- Americans just cannot compete with illegal, undocumented workers who are OK with getting paid at or below minimum wage!!!

Am I xenophobic! No. My mother is an immigrant who came here the legal way. I feel very sorry for these workers who are in desperate need of employment; however, Americans first!

So... seriously... Are there jobs that Americans do not want to do? If so, what are these jobs and how do you know Americans do not want to do them?

[Birthmark]

1. No, there are not.

There are jobs that employers won't pay market price for, and so, import illegal immigrants to avoid the "invisible hand" that they so love when selling their crap.

[htuttle]

2. By 'job': Do you mean the work itself or the pay? (or both?)

I don't think there's any work Americans won't do, but they won't often do them for less than minimum wage.

In fact, it's illegal for ANYONE to be paid less than mininum wage in this country (minimum wage for it's category, excluding independent contractors). Why don't we worry more about that, instead of about precisely who gets taken advantage of in those jobs. Would people really feel better about citizens getting ripped off at sub-legal wages, instead of illegal immigrants?

[whistle]

3. There are only jobs which are too dangerous or too strenuous..

...or too boring and repetitious or too dehumanizing that most Americans would rather not do them without the proper tools, safety measures, living wages or recognition and most importantly a means of upward mobility to a better job, IMHO.

[BiggJawn]

4. I won't work Fast Food.

I'll hit people over the head and take their wallets first.
I hated having to deal with angry people jonesin' for their grease fix 30 years ago. I can only imagine what it's like now since people are a hell of a lot ruder these days...

Your life sucks, your wife is fat and won't fuck you, even if your dick COULD get hard, your kids punks and brats, your boss an asshole? Take it out on the kid in the paper hat who's not getting your double thickburger with extra cholesterol on your plate fast enough...

Shit, how I hated working at Mickey Dee's...

[ihaveaquestion]

5. Fruit-picking is an example of a job

that most Americans don't want to do. Still, I think if the working conditions were improved, some folks would do the work.

[sweetheart]

6. Yes there are

Americans don't want to be seasonal farm workers paid below minimum
wage, or work-batch wages. Americans don't like working in sweatshops
in the manhattan garmet district.... indeed.

The very hard manual labour jobs, that often pay below minimum wage,
are not high on the list, and as well, because they are below minimum
wage, and quasi-illegal to start with, there's little point in hiring
an american who will expect at least minimum wage and certain work
conditions, whereas illegal workers can be enslaved more.

[HockeyMom]

7. Housekeeper

When my kids were younger, I worked part time as a freelance housekeeper at a local retirement community. Yes, I cleaned toilet bowls. But I have to tell you I was treated with more respect by those Seniors than at some of the office jobs I had.

There was one woman who was in her 80s who had no children or family. She would ask me to stay and have tea with her when I was finished. I would sit and just talk to her for a about an hour afterwords. She would then OFFER TO PAY me for just sitting and talking with her. No way could I accept her money for that. I just did it because it was the right thing to do and she was a nice old woman.

[FSogol]

8. Yes ...

From 1986 to 1993 (my college years), I managed the kitchen of a full service restaurant that did $120k in sales per week. We were located in Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC.

We never had enough employees and would hire any sober person who asked for a job regardless of immigration status. Other than the occasional college student or laid off retiree, only immigrants applied for jobs.

[hfojvt]

9. I say almost all of them

duh, that's why we insist on getting paid. We really do not want to be there doing the work. Plus we would rather get paid for sitting around talking and watching TV.
I used to get so mad at those job service people who would ask "what kind of job do you want?" I wanted to say "I want a job where I get to beat the crap out of people who think 'what kind of job do you want?' is a relevant question, now why don't you show me some people willing to hire me and I will pick the lesser of evils." Either that or I would think "I'd like to get paid six figures for listening to tunes, eating pizza and making love to supermodels, are they hiring?"

[CornField]

10. There are lots of jobs Americans don't *want* to do

That being said, however, I cannot think of any job an American *wouldn't* do. When given the choice of eating or not eating, Americans choose to eat. When given the choice of getting prescriptions or doing without, Americans want their medicines. When faced with watching their children suffer or taking on an unglamorous job, Americans go to work where ever work is available.

So, the problem isn't that Americans refuse to work... the problem is that many refuse to pay *American wages* for an honest day's work.

[Rowdyboy]

11. Yes, there are.....particularly in the poultry processing industry....

I worked for 25 years for the Job Service finding jobs for people and was refused thousands of times. These jobs are nasty, cold, unpleasant, hard and leave you with little or no job satisfaction. However, they do pay more than minimum wage (about $1.25 per hour) and Hispanic immigrants JUMPED at the chance to do the work.

Even when unemployment was very high in our area, it was still impossible to find enough Americans to fill the openings.

Could plant salaries be raised high enough to attract American citizens? Sure, but then you'd be paying $5 a pound for chicken at the grocery and thats unacceptable too.

[cmd]

12. Very true

An entire culture has sprung up in our county because of a chicken processing plant. I love having the Hispanics here. However, I do wish they would be required to have more driver's education before hitting our highways.

[Rowdyboy]

14. I moved to a town of 15000 in central Mississippi 16 years ago...

There were no Hispanics in the area. Today there are a couple of thousand. I also love having them here. last year, a young Hispanic man designed built a beautiful deck for me for about 1/2 of what I expected to pay. I gave him a $200 bonus (25%) and had him and his wife over for dinner the night he finished. They are a definite asset to the community.

They're also responsible for a great new Mexican restaurant and a Hispanic grocery. My little rural town is becoming international!

[cmd]

20. Love those Mexican restaurants!

It's nice to have grown up Taco Bell's around. I'm treated like royalty when I go there and the food is fantastic.

[zanne]

15. That's a tired old argument.

We'd be paying "5$ a pound for chicken"? And if they didn't abuse workers at your local Walmart, we'd have to pay "higher prices" at the department store. Bull. They'll charge us what they want to charge us, regardless. "Deregulation" was supposed to lower prices, too. Has your cable or electric bill gone down?

[wideopen]

13. tobacco harvesting

The farmers around here CANNOT find an American for this job even paying above minimum wage. The entire industry here depends heavily on Mexican immigrants, without them I don't know how these farmers would survive.

[zanne]

16. Are you in favor of "guest workers"?

How about in the construction field? Plenty of Americans would love to find a construction job, but when an employer has a chance to pay below minimum wage, who do you think he's going to hire?

[wideopen]

17. Not really,

I would prefer they live in the area and contribute to the community. As far as construction goes, I actually own a construction co. and know many other buisness owners. I don't know of a single one paying these workers below min. wage. They do work for probably 15-20% less than Americans but they also work about twice as hard.

[wideopen]

19. Forgot to

address "Plenty of Am would like to find a construction job". The kind of construction job most people I encounter want is something like stopsign holder on a road crew,make $28hr and don't have to do any real work. The group that wants to go out and hang 10,000 pounds of drywall everyday is very,very,small.

[SmokingJacket]

We will do anything if we are paid enough.

That's all it comes down to. Some immigrants who are more desperate will work for less.

IMHO, paying immigrants to do jobs that Americans won't do (at that price) is taking advantage of -- exploiting -- their desperation.

A starving man will pay you $500 for a candy bar... but is it right to exploit his suffering and take the money, just because that's "what the market will bear"?

[Kablooie]

18. I'll do most anything ... but I don't do windows.

[kenny blankenship]

21. There are wages they don't find compelling to make them work

If scrubbing out a toxic container in 120F heat doesn't pay enough to put "food on your family" why do it?
If picking fruit until your fingers bleed and your back is knotted in pain doesn't put "food on your family" why do it?

Pay Americans American wages and the work in America will get done by Americans. What Republicans and many uppermiddle class Democrats seem to want, though, is to pay peanuts for difficult and unpleasant jobs to be done by slave or coolie laborers, and then blame their fellow Americans for being lazy, or even more ironically for wanting something for nothing.

[tk2kewl]

22. It is a wage issue not a work issue