Originally Posted by
Patrick Abraham
Wages aren't the only reason people choose jobs, despite what economists say. How many people do you know who chose their line of work solely on the basis of pay? Being an EMT is a hell of a lot more interesting than working at Home Depot. And if EMT companies have a tight labor market due to wages, they can raise their wages. A couple years ago there was a lot of bellyaching by business owners about not being able to find employees, and they could have solved their problem by just raising wages. I'm not familiar with EMTs specifically, but that's usually what's behind panic about tight labor markets--owners afraid their profit margins might be a little lower.