Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey listeners.
Speaker 1: The following is a bite sized version of an episode
Speaker 1: of On the Job, a podcast from Express Employment Professionals
Speaker 1: that shares the experiences of everyday Americans finding their life's work.
Speaker 1: These clips can be humorous and heartwarming, sometimes both at
Speaker 1: the same time, and they're always insightful.
Speaker 2: Enjoy Welcome to On the Job. As you might be
Speaker 2: noticing if you're a longtime listener, I am not Otis Gray.
Speaker 2: I'm Avery Thompson, who you may remember hearing way back
Speaker 2: in season three when I told my story a brush
Speaker 2: with fame. Well, I'm back again and I'm excited to
Speaker 2: take the wheel for our whole new season of On
Speaker 2: the Job are seventh in fact, so over the next
Speaker 2: eight episodes, I'll be speaking with folks who have finally
Speaker 2: folded up those pandemic sweatpants and are back out there
Speaker 2: doing what they love and keeping America moving forward. This season,
Speaker 2: On the Job is on the move, so come along
Speaker 2: for the ride. It's become a bit of a tradition
Speaker 2: here at On the Job to start the season by
Speaker 2: speaking with an economist. So to kick things off, I
Speaker 2: gave a call to Raleigh, North Carolina, to speak with
Speaker 2: doctor Michael L. Walden, Professor Emeritus of North Carolina State
Speaker 2: University and veteran economist with over forty years of expertise.
Speaker 2: But before you go thinking, oh, no, an economist, hit
Speaker 2: the fast forward button, you'll be relieved to know that
Speaker 2: I chose a person that understands your apprehension and has
Speaker 2: made it his life's work to help people get over
Speaker 2: that econ phobia.
Speaker 3: One thing we're going to see more of to deal
Speaker 3: broadly with the labor shortage is something that we actually
Speaker 3: feared a decade ago, and that is technology.
Speaker 2: In other words, robots, well, also automation and AI, but yes,
Speaker 2: also robots.
Speaker 3: But I think some of those technologies have been developed,
Speaker 3: they may hit at just the right time.
Speaker 2: And it's no longer just factory jobs and other repetitive
Speaker 2: tasks that are at risk of being replaced.
Speaker 3: So I don't think we should get too set in thinking, oh,
Speaker 3: this labor shortage is going to go on. I do
Speaker 3: think eventually we're going to see a lot of this
Speaker 3: technology come in and be used by businesses. So I
Speaker 3: still think people need to worry about getting the skills
Speaker 3: that they need to get in order to get the
Speaker 3: job they want, and just don't be setting back and saying, oh,
Speaker 3: I can get a job anytime I want, because there's
Speaker 3: so many jobs deal I think eventually it'll change.
Speaker 2: So doctor Walden's advice, get that job now, Folks, strike
Speaker 2: while the iron's hot. We'll be right back.
Speaker 3: A strong work ethic takes pride in a job well done.
Speaker 2: This is the kind of person you need. Express Employment
Speaker 2: professionals can help because in good times or bad, we
Speaker 2: understand how critical it is to manage your business for
Speaker 2: today with the right workforce.
Speaker 3: We offer hiring solutions to fit changing demands.
Speaker 2: Express knows Jobs.
Speaker 1: Get to know Express go to expresspros dot com to
Speaker 1: find a location near you.
Speaker 2: We're back speaking with economist doctor Michael L. Walden, who
Speaker 2: is just reflecting on the very strong post pandemic labor
Speaker 2: market we're enjoying. But doctor Walden also acknowledges that even
Speaker 2: in a blazing labor market that heavily favors the worker,
Speaker 2: sometimes landing that job is easier said than done.
Speaker 3: We are probably in an era where what businesses want
Speaker 3: and the skills that are needed are changing more rapidly
Speaker 3: than any time before, and I think what's going to happen.
Speaker 3: This is not me saying this. The kind of jobs
Speaker 3: that are going to be applied for people and the
Speaker 3: skills that are needed are going to change.
Speaker 2: Only time will tell how things play out. But I
Speaker 2: hope for everyone's sake that doctor Walden is right and
Speaker 2: things won't be as bad as some of these doomsday
Speaker 2: pundits have been predicting that this labor market will continue
Speaker 2: to roar. But then, just as we were wrapping up
Speaker 2: our interview, I noticed hanging in the background of his
Speaker 2: office a long row of baseball caps, all of them
Speaker 2: bearing the logo of the Cincinnati Reds. And if you
Speaker 2: know anything about the Cincinnati Reds, then you know you
Speaker 2: have to be an eternal optimist to keep rooting for them.
Speaker 3: My Reds had a horrible season last year. I think
Speaker 3: they lost one hundred and two games, but I'm always
Speaker 3: optimistic about a lot of young players, so I'm looking
Speaker 3: for good things from the Reds. Maybe not World Series,
Speaker 3: but he's being competitive.
Speaker 2: So maybe we should take doctor Waldon's positive economic outlook
Speaker 2: with a grain of salt. Or maybe he's completely right
Speaker 2: and we'll see the Reds in the playoffs. For on
Speaker 2: the job. I'm Avery Thompson. I'll see you down the road.