Fast Food Shortages

Previously the experts are saying that its a matter of when the pandemic will strike, rather than if. I've noted more optimistic reports in recent days about vaccine potentials. I wonder if this is an attempt by world governments to put a lid on the conversation, to slow the level of concern. I'm not meaning to sound paranoid here, but there is often a lot of spin on the part of government opfficials. Anyway back to my main contribution, talking about demographic segment effects, lets focus on the US for example, continuing with an assumption of about 50 million deaths. (Estimates range from 50% down to as low as 1 in 1000 depending on how the virus evolves)

If more elderly than younger die, the retirement accounting situation gets better. If the reverse, due to better immunity from prior bird flu incidents, then the reverse is true and the retirement system becomes destabilized. Of course, depending on the magnitude, it could also boost the job prospects of younger works since there would be fewer workers. Better quality jobs however would put pressure on the service sector since fewer people would be available to take lower paying, less desirable jobs. Plus regardless of the older/younger thing, its a sure bet that the poor and those with marginal health care coverage will be more likely to die than the rich and wealthier segments of the middle class. So basically we're thinking, older, poorer, less well educated, little or no medical benefits. That sort points to a real shortage of people to work in fast food. Today there are several million people in fast food alone.

Hmmm, now in an outbreak situation it sounds like eating in restaurants where most of the employees are at risk for the flu, have no sick time to use if they start feeling a little ill, and are handling the food that is going straight into your body... -That doesn't sound like a good thing, and I think most folks will be cutting back on socializing anyway, so one of the first casualities of the pandemic is likely to be the restaurant industry.

Which definately leads me to conclude that new robotics will come forward to fill jobs... Well the mind does have to leap around a bit on that doesn't it. I think I'm just juggling advances in technology which have been moving ahead steadily with a sudden market requirement to retool Taco Bell to build tacos robotically, wrap them, bag them zip zip paying for them ATM style with those self service ordering kiosks McDonalds has been working with. Call centers will have to automate further and roombas will get bigger and better for office cleaning.

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