This video showed up in my YouTube feed, from the description:

Bangkok is known for its vibrant street food and affordable luxury, but what is the reality for the young people working behind the scenes? In this short documentary, we explore the life of Fa, a 23-year-old cafe worker in the wealthy Sukhumvit district, who navigates a rigid 13,000 THB ($380) monthly salary amidst a 12-year wage freeze and surging inflation in Thailand.

The video explored how Westerners often talk about cheap street food without recognizing the challenges many young people in Bangkok face: a lack of cooking facilities that pushes them to eat out. Salaries have remained stagnant for a significant period, while costs have risen by 17%. This trend appears to be global. Unfortunately, the older generation is not leaving a better world for the younger generations.

I made it about 26 seconds before the VO made me turn it off. Then I forced myself to try again.

She is a graduate working in the most expensive part of the city. Why would she have savings left? It's like a graduate working a minimum wage job in Mayfair and complaining about it. You work, you survive, you grow and move up. When I moved to London I started working on a wage that was unsurvivable, but did it to get on a ladder and move myself up. Why would a basic graduate be able to live in the most expensive part of Sukhumvit?

I usually employ uni graduates at around 23k a month so not sure what her qualifications are.

Nonsense video. And that VO.....

Five years ago, we had to pay more than B13K a month to get factory workers out in Prachinburi.

I have a family member works for less than that (10k) in Makro

4 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

I have a family member works for less than that (10k) in Makro

Why?

8 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Why?

Because she has a family to support like most people who need a job

That's not what I meant but never mind.

That hourly rate almost exactly what we pay the day labourers during harvest time..........but they do get fed twice plus transport to and from the fields.

Some have moved to per bundle on the sugarcane, so not sure what they make.

Welcome to the world of predatory capitalism. Big surprise when socialism takes root within the population.

13 minutes ago, connda said:

Welcome to the world of predatory capitalism. Big surprise when socialism takes root within the population.

That's why people in the EU make so much more than people in the US.

People in North Korea and Cuba must be wealthy beyond belief!

14 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

That's why people in the EU make so much more than people in the US.

People in North Korea and Cuba must be wealthy beyond belief!

If you look at any big city NYC, LA, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, London, Berlin, Paris. You will see the same thing. People starting out cannot afford to live in these cities unless they have 2nd or 3rd jobs.

Add to that the money that they owe for university grants for courses that got them nothing. The trick that some have learned is not to live in the city. Take a look at the BTS at Khu Khot station, and you will see a large number of young people because they have found out, like most people in big metros, that living outside and commuting is cheaper than living in the city.

It is funny that they show CentralWorld in this video, since most Thai women don't shop there. I could make a video of young Thai women at Paragon in the Dior and Chanel stores too, but look at what isn't in their hands.

My next question is: how did these people survive in university without an income? Compare the price of a 1-room apartment in Bangkok to a 1-room apartment near Khu Kot BTS, where it is 5- 8k a month, and food is cheaper. BTS costs about 1500 a month.

Didn't watch the video but I'm not buying the line that she's forced to eat out due to the lack of 'cooking facilities' where she lives. All the condos in my Bangkok condo project have 'cooking facilities' but that doesn't stop most of the residents from ordering food to be delivered for many of their meals. At the front entrance are two big tables for all the food deliveries. We can also go next door to an office building where there are many open air stalls selling food at lunch time--we will often buy both lunch and dinner there.

And, there's Metro Mall at the MRT station with all sorts of prepared food for sale, plus actual 'street food' on the street. People are mostly not cooking not because they lack a kitchen but because it's just so cheap and easy to buy prepared food, instead. My spouse and I do it all the time when we are in Bangkok, as well as eating out at nearby restaurants or at one of the malls.

When a 4 year degree only gets you a job that pays 3,000 to 5,000 a month more, than a job that's held by somebody who hasn't graduated from high school, you know there's something within the system that's broken. It's the same reason why eventually the youth will wrestle control of this country away from the incredibly toxic, regressive and greedy elites.

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

When a 4 year degree only gets you a job that pays 3,000 to 5,000 a month more, than a job that's held by somebody who hasn't graduated from high school, you know there's something within the system that's broken. It's the same reason why eventually the youth will wrestle control of this country away from the incredibly toxic, regressive and greedy elites.

What we don't know is where she graduated from and what her marks were. Consider that, with the number of universities and students, it's unlikely that someone with a bachelor's in business and a 70 score would get the top jobs.

It depends on how you did in class and how many openings there are in the market.

Thisis muchthe same as a lot of kids graduating in the U.S. with courses can not find employment.

Your income is only limited to your desire and drive for more. I had many jobs near minimum wage. I purposesly worked 2nd & 3rd shift low pay jobs, so I could search for better jobs during the say. You always have options, just need to excersize them

Moved and worked in 6 different states in USA, following better job opportunities and pay. Amazing the excuses people use to not advance themselves ...

... can't learn & change fields or jobs. Yea, you can.

... Can't leave my familiy and or friends. Yea, you can.

... or take your family with you, yes, you can.

... I can't take the wife or kids away from the stable life & friends, yea, you can.

Daughter out of Uni at Rangsit, 5 jobs in 5 year, 30k, 50k, 60k, 80k, too many hours & days ... now 100k a month, normal hours and even 'free food station' at work. Definitely her last job, as stopped looking.

No need to settle for less than what you are worth. YOU deside what you are worth.

Edited yesterday at 01:36 AM1 day by KhunLA

1 hour ago, kingstonkid said:

What we don't know is where she graduated from and what her marks were. Consider that, with the number of universities and students, it's unlikely that someone with a bachelor's in business and a 70 score would get the top jobs.

It depends on how you did in class and how many openings there are in the market.

Thisis muchthe same as a lot of kids graduating in the U.S. with courses can not find employment.

There are many fields in which graduates cannot find jobs these days. I have two relatives that are highly skilled and we're making really big money that have recently lost their jobs and they're having an incredibly hard time finding comparable work. It's a very difficult job market in America right now. And it's even worse here for a college graduate, unless they are willing to work for peanuts.

If I had a daughter or son who was going to college in America right now I would encourage them to only consider a very specialized area of engineering something related to the medical field and medical technology or art restoration. Those are very high demand fields and your certain to find a good job. In addition graduating with an MBA from the top 10 school is also a pretty strong bet. Anything else is a quarter of a million dollar roll of the dice.

17 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

There are many fields in which graduates cannot find jobs these days. I have two relatives that are highly skilled and we're making really big money that have recently lost their jobs and they're having an incredibly hard time finding comparable work. It's a very difficult job market in America right now. And it's even worse here for a college graduate, unless they are willing to work for peanuts.

If I had a daughter or son who was going to college in America right now I would encourage them to only consider a very specialized area of engineering something related to the medical field and medical technology or art restoration. Those are very high demand fields and your certain to find a good job. In addition graduating with an MBA from the top 10 school is also a pretty strong bet. Anything else is a quarter of a million dollar roll of the dice.

Are they having problems finding comparible work, or comparible position & salaries they left ?

Add age to that, and it's hard for a company to hire an ousider, to a higher position & pay, than someone that has already put in the time, and earned their place for higher position & salary advancement.

Not to mention, if years of experience of new applicant, (aged) how many more years will he remain in the workforce before retiring, when the younger already employed worker, has decades ahead of them.

When I left my last job, not that I needed to work again, BUT, if I applied for another company in same field, I'd have to start at the bottom than previous position & salary I was already use to. Something, unless dire need for money, that I would accept.

Edited yesterday at 03:00 AM1 day by KhunLA

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

Are they having problems finding comparible work, or comparible salaries they left ?

Add age to that, and it's hard for a company to hire an ousider, to a higher position & pay, that someone that has already put in the time, and earned their place for position & salary advancement.

Not to mention, if years of experience of new applicant, (aged) how many more years will he remain in the workforce before retiring, when the younger already employed worker, has decades ahead of them.

When I left my last job, not that I needed to work again, BUT, if I applied for another company in same field, I'd have to start at the bottom than position & salary I was already use to. Something, unless dire need for money, that I would accept.

Both comparable work and comparable salaries, there's no sense in whitewashing the subject, America has become an extremely difficult job market. The US economy is broken on so many different levels, and that's being masked by a relatively high stock market and very high real estate prices, which are part of the problem.

4 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The US economy is broken on so many different levels, and that's being masked by a relatively high stock market and very high real estate prices, which are part of the problem.

This is the result of the Federal Reserve holding rates too long after the 2008 housing crash. Cheap money has contributed to rising housing prices. Additionally, mass immigration has also placed upward pressure on housing prices.

28 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

There are many fields in which graduates cannot find jobs these days. I have two relatives that are highly skilled and we're making really big money that have recently lost their jobs and they're having an incredibly hard time finding comparable work. It's a very difficult job market in America right now. And it's even worse here for a college graduate, unless they are willing to work for peanuts.

If I had a daughter or son who was going to college in America right now I would encourage them to only consider a very specialized area of engineering something related to the medical field and medical technology or art restoration. Those are very high demand fields and your certain to find a good job. In addition graduating with an MBA from the top 10 school is also a pretty strong bet. Anything else is a quarter of a million dollar roll of the dice.

The unemployment rate is low at 4.1% and looks to be getting lower. Job growth is strong.

Over 40% of the workforce have bachelor's degree or higher.

There are simply too many people with college degrees that are largely meaningless. Engineers are having no difficulty finding good jobs. Art majors? Not so much.

14 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

The unemployment rate is low at 4.1% and looks to be getting lower. Job growth is strong.

Over 40% of the workforce have bachelor's degree or higher.

There are simply too many people with college degrees that are largely meaningless. Engineers are having no difficulty finding good jobs. Art majors? Not so much.

Yea, I posted that elsewhere, the unemployment rate being the lowest in decades. Except for the SM7's example, or falling in between cracks or overskilled & paid looking for a lateral move, most, if smart career choice, shouldn't be having problem finding work.

Uni degree jobs do seem to be the problem, all having same degree fighting for same job, along with unrealistic pay expectations. Wanting it all now, before experience & time invested.

The tradecraft jobs, are starving for employees, or so I read. So much so, many that are certified, are going the self employed route, and paying themselves much better. Creating a greater void and need to hire.

For some reason, more diplomas were pushed as silly Uni cost and believed to provide better jobs & income. Seems the market has shifted to the trade, with the new lack of trained folks.

That and probably AI has replaced a lot of the 'desk jobs' and redundant 'assembly line jobs', of turning the same 10 screws at your position, or soldering, welding the same spots, before moving to the next station down the line. I actually had one of those jobs, making ovens & refrigerations, low paying to top it of. I lasted about a month ...

3 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Yea, I posted that elsewhere, the unemployment rate being the lowest in decades. Except for the SM7's example, or falling in between cracks or overskilled & paid looking for a lateral move, most, if smart career choice, shouldn't be having problem finding work.

Uni degree jobs do seem to be the problem, all having same degree fighting for same job, along with unrealistic pay expectations. Wanting it all now, before experience & time invested.

The tradecraft jobs, are starving for employees, or so I read. So much so, many that are certified, are going the self employed route, and paying themselves much better. Creating a greater void and need to hire.

For some reason, more diplomas were pushed as silly Uni cost and believed to provide better jobs & income. Seems the market has shifted to the trade, with the new lack of trained folks.

That and probably AI has replaced a lot of the 'desk jobs' and redundant 'assembly line jobs', of turning the same 10 screws at your position, or soldering, welding the same spots, before moving to the next station down the line. I actually had one of those jobs, making ovens & refrigerations, low paying to top it of. I lasted about a month ...

A friend's son (28 maybe?) making $150K a year as an engineer three years out of school, his girlfriend, same school, year, degree, company, making more than him, they just bought a home for $1.25M in Torrence.

One of my great nephews, three years out of high school making over $90K a year working as an electrician

One of my nieces, must be 45, making over $100K as a waitress

44 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Both comparable work and comparable salaries, there's no sense in whitewashing the subject, America has become an extremely difficult job market. The US economy is broken on so many different levels, and that's being masked by a relatively high stock market and very high real estate prices, which are part of the problem.

I think it is a little self-serving to say the U.S. is having trouble. Every country except maybe China and Korea is having trouble.

Part of it is technology, and part of it is the coddling of students. If I had kids right now the last place Ai would want them to go is university. Better to look at the trades and the wages that are being paid for plumbers and carpenters.

The problem here is that kids go through school getting by 60-70%; they think well that is all I will need to get a job with my grad certificate. Then they find out that there are like 25 universities of various degrees of credibility that have 50 students graduating in the field, and the economy only has 100 positions that are starting positions at best. The only students, other than those with connections, who get jobs are the top-honours grads.

Let's face it, when I graduated HS, you could get a good-paying job in a factory or in the military. Then, as more students went to university, it became a BA. Now, with the present job market, if you want a really good job and pay, you need a master's, oh yeah, and have to be bilingual in at least 2 languages: Chinese and English.

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

A friend's son (28 maybe?) making $150K a year as an engineer three years out of school, his girlfriend, same school, year, degree, company, making more than him, they just bought a home for $1.25M in Torrence.

One of my great nephews, three years out of high school making over $90K a year working as an electrician

One of my nieces, must be 45, making over $100K as a waitress

Yep, all my family & friends still in, or just stating out in the work force are doing quite well.

How I gather accurate info, from personal experience of people I know & respect, not MSM, forums, TT or YT.

Been there and done all the examples people present. From being a LPOS myself, to driven for early retirement, and putting in the time & hours other would never consider, knowing 'it will pay off', eventually.

Just wish I had a mentor earlier in life. Where's that shrink at, so I can blame it all on my parents

Working 50 Hours for $380 a Month

In America merely having a job makes you part of the elite.

I'd love to be working 50 hours a week for my own business.

But the business economy is a little slow right now as tarrifs and higher business borrowing interest rates have caused a "hiring freeze" as capital is being sucked dry by the AI "capex" soon to be bursting buh-bye bubble.

Thanks Donald Trump!

The Jobless Boom Has Arrived - WSJ https://share.google/oUBcywM5Km6m2slo0