Labor Department official’s view on hiring

I’m in Washington, D.C. right now and, aside from noting the glorious wealth compared to Boston (the new cars, the new or rebuilt houses, the lack of vacant retail space), I am encountering a lot of government workers. One Labor Department official expects that the reelected Obama will add a raft of new regulations for employers. One example cited, that could be done without any new law being passed by Congress, was a quota system requiring companies that get revenue from the government, either as contractors or subcontractors, to hire 7 percent disabled workers (WSJ article). Given the large percentage of the economy taken up by government, this might end up embracing those companies where a majority of Americans work. Another new tangle of Labor Department regulations is related to Obamacare (article). The new requirements are so complex that the government workers who are to enforce them are requiring continuing education and training (from private contractors, of course!).

After all the dust settles from the new regulations, what was the most surprising thing for this Labor Department official? “I can’t believe that any private company is willing to hire a worker in America.”

[Where can employers find enough disabled workers to meet the Obamaquota? Here the government itself may provide the solution. In a lot of places, e.g., New York City, a majority of firefighters and police officers retire on a disability pension (example; note that this means that pension obligation calculations by local governments are even more wishful thinking (article)). As these folks may be under 50 years old at retirement they can supply the required 7 percent quota.]