Wages rise on California farms, Americans still don’t want the job
When I was younger, I worked at a McDonalds in SoCal. Almost all the employees were white teenagers. The managers were white as well. We didn&#x27;t make much, just a bit above minimum wage, but we were all mostly high-school students or college students working in the summer to pay tuition.<p>This went on until around 1984 or so, when it became much harder to hire this demographic. It wasn&#x27;t as cool to work at fast food, and the area was becoming more affluent.<p>Fast forward five years, and 99% of the staff was now Hispanic, including several illegal immigrants. The restaurant had to do what it could to make money and stay in biz.<p>I don&#x27;t know how high wages would have to be to attract the previous demographic to that type of work. The area is far more affluent than when I was growing up, and house prices start at over $700K and go higher easily.<p>I do think something is missing though when kids don&#x27;t learn what it&#x27;s like to hold a retail type job dealing with the public. You learn hard work, humility, and often an appreciation for higher education.