It's A Worrisome Sign

"Help Wanted" - I view this as a worrisome sign. The Western Australian economy is steamrolling along, there are high paying jobs on offer, and everything appears to be peachy. Or is that just a facade? Are there large cracks in the foundation that are about to open up and start swallowing us?

In the news recently I heard that Woolies, and perhaps Coles, were struggling to find checkout chicks. This is due to the booming economy offering people better pay and conditions than they otherwise would experience in menial jobs. Last night we went shopping and the queues at the checkout in KMart were quite long. It worries me what will shopping be like at Christmas time. Pretty ugly I imagine and far worse than last night.

Go for a walk along a restaurant strip and every second shop is looking for a waitperson. Even one of the Chinese restaurants is looking for someone who speaks either Mandarin, English or both. They are becoming less fussy with whom they choose. What blew me away last night was a local family-owned Chinese fish shop and even they were even advertising for staff. They generally keep everything in-house and don't open up to non-family members.

It is looking pretty grim out there. I don't think the picture is as rosy as the Government would like to paint. You may have more money in your pocket but chances are that you will become frustrated trying to spend it. I see plenty of scope for moving purchases online if possible - the stores just won't have the staff to serve you. It will get much worse before it gets better.