Nonsense on Hiring, Taxes, and Regulation
|
|
|
Wednesday, 01 September 2010 05:20 |
|
Fool or Liar? That is the question that should be posed of anyone who says that companies are not hiring because of concerns about taxes or regulations.
Exhibit A, the only one necessary to prove the case, is that there has been no unusual increase in average weekly hours. There is some uptick from the low-point of the downturn, but nothing unusual for an upturn, and we are still far below average weekly hours from before the recession.
(Only one link allowed per comment)
 |
If they're liars, they're well aware that sufficient demand does not exist to justify more hiring, but still blame lack of hiring on government interference.
Low average weekly hours is presented by Baker as proof that insufficient demand exists, noting that high weekly hours would confirm the influence of uncertainty via refusal to hire more despite the presence of justifiable demand.
In that case it would be impossible to lie that sufficient demand does not exist, because existing workers would be worked more intensely at higher weekly hours in order to avoid hiring more new workers at the margin. That would make them fools instead.
Simultaneously, higher weekly hours over the long run also indicates a move towards full employment, at which point it would not make any difference if they were lying.
No one would care whether they are not hiring (more) due to uncertainty, because other than frictional unemployment, everyone who wanted work would have a job. That would make them liars.
So they're both, lying fools and foolish liars.