News:

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon Link

Main Menu

Labor Shortage

Started by Onslow, September 12, 2016, 16:26:31 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Onslow

It seems workers who are both willing get dirty and sweating, but have an IQ over 80 are not available for new hiring.  I have no clue as to why there is so much bitching and moaning about the lack of jobs for blue collar types.  All I hear is bitching and moaning from distressed companies unable to find capable people in the field of construction. 

Questions

1.  Are we heading into a future where there are not enough people to service our complex infrastructure whether it be physical work or engineering, or more mundane tasks such as hvac and plumbing repairs on both residential or commercial facilities.  I starting to get worried, really worried.  In some locales, it is easy to find and hire a lawyer, but nearly impossible to find a plumber.  I cannot find anyone who can tolerate wearing a respirator.

2.  Will there be a massive market driven correction in compensation for the manly man working man?  This is supposedly a free market economy.

Lets discuss

Dougfish

I've already told our kids, who are starting to have their own kids, don't push them to college. The huge debt isn't worth it. If they are little Einsteins and can get scholarships? OK. Trade school/apprentice instead. The HVAC guy charges $80/hour. Same for auto mechanic. Plumber and electrician the same. It will be well north of $100/hour by the time they're ready. Work M - F. Every few weekends on call for time and a half. Learn a trade, save some coin. Make a real difference in the world. Start your own business one day and call your shots. Between a shortage of people wanting to work hard and get dirty, and the loss of any common sense in the general population means mo money for the bright high school grad.
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

driver

I've been complaining for years that I can't find good help. And thats why I haven't had any hourly employees in 3 years. Just hired a 21 year old. Doesn't know shit, but is eager and doesn't have his nose stuck in a phone all day.

I might indulge in this conversation later. When i have time to write a 10pg essay.

BrookieHunter

 I've been in manufacturing 20 years and it's getting pretty bad. I've seen 20 year old kids that can't even figure out how to use a cordless drill.  b';

Onslow

Quote from: BrookieHunter on September 12, 2016, 17:23:20 PM
I've been in manufacturing 20 years and it's getting pretty bad. I've seen 20 year old kids that can't even figure out how to use a cordless drill.  b';

An HR person at a local wood processing plant informed an applicant he had to cut his beard...he started crying.  No lie.

Dee-Vo

Skilled laborers will likely eventually take the same path as the every day truck driver. Older guys will age out and retire/quit, and the new generation will not be interested in that field....until that particular field raises general wages high enough to get their attention and keep it.

A good example:

Furniture manufacturer monster, Ashley Furniture, located close by in Advance, NC, was and is doing so much business that they're spending a fortune on advertising for help, practically begging for people to take jobs and still can't keep up. People are sorry asses. Also, their trucking lines were suffering big-time because there were no drivers to hire. In order to establish a good work force for themselves they were forced to or up or shut up. More money equals people who give a damn about their career and the quality of work they put forth.

RiverbumCO

My new company offers pretty sizeabke recruitment bonuses if you can get somebody hired. Laborers, truck drivers, tractor operators etc.  very hard to find people these days.
My real name is Chad Farthouse.

RiverbumCO

Speaking of which, anybody need a job?
My real name is Chad Farthouse.


Grannyknot

My brother in law got his contractors license, worked as an apprentice for a custom home builder for 2 years and then went out on his own.
Works very hard & gets bloody/dirty as hell, but really enjoys his work, and makes about 4x what he made at his desk job 5 years out of college.

Wish I had gone that route.
Flea is not the best bassist of all time.

NCsporksman

Almost every restaurant account I walk into is asking me if I know any skilled line cooks, the mainstay workforce (Hispanics) are moving to higher paying construction jobs and most kids starting out in the field with culinary degrees feel entitled to start in management positions. I worked as a line cook for years and regularly got promoted over Johnson and Wales grads who weren't willing to put any effort into an entry level job. Then again who can blame a kid who just payed 30k a year for a degree in an industry that pays entry level employees $12 phr on a good day.

Jfey

Skilled and reliable employees are at a premium at both ends of the spectrum.   I recruit a lot of MBA/PhD type people in banking and healthcare/pharma and its a constant complaint(and one that keeps me in business) that they can never find the type of person they need.  If they can, its takes them a very long time.

I just got a call yesterday from a local financial  company that is trying to hire someone that will sit in San Fran or Seattle.  Its what I would consider a pretty solid job with great pay/benefits etc.   Its been open for 13 months and the hiring manager has interviewed 5 people  in that time.  All of them bombed the interview.   They should have been able to find 5 people in the first month.

From my very limited individual view, it seems that what is needed from a skill perspective from employers is not aligned with the skills of the workforce.   There is a glutton of people the fill in the middle, but the highly skilled contractor or banking/healthcare  professional(which is what everyone wants) is at a shortage.

There is no magic wand to  fix this, but I would guess its a combination of education becoming more aligned with the needs of the workforce, companies needing to pay more for the skills they need and family values that teach the value of hard work and reliability.   These are very long term items and there will be people fighting to not let these changes happen as it would mean they would suffer in the short term ie companies paying there employees more.




Yup, going fishing

ptfranze

Coming at this from the school/teacher level, we actually push certifications almost the same if not more than college degrees.  We also have begun aligning our school with local businesses (mainly Revlon) to find out what they are looking for in employees to make sure that we teach it in class.

We try to explain to our students many times you can make as much, if not a lot more than someone with a college degree by just getting something like a welding certificate.  I don't know if all schools do this, or we just focus on it because the type of students that we have (most will not be going onto college) but it is something I grew up doing with VICA (vocational industrial clubs of america) when I was taking drafting in high school.  I think all schools should put a strong focus on this because some kids aren't meant for college but are damn hard workers and if you get them in the right spot can do great things. 

Yallerhammer

One problem is that young folks aren't taught how to do anything with their hands nowadays. They are trained intellectually, but no mechanical or labor skills. I work with crews of college students sometimes, and it is amazing how many of them have no idea how to use basic tolls like a shovel, mattock, saw, hammer, etc. I guess I took it for granted growing up on a farm with not much money, but the average 16-year old boy here when I was growing up could do almost anything from plumbing to mechanic work to operating heavy equipment. Most younger folks nowadays can't even drive a vehicle with a manual transmission. Our culture has shifted away from self-reliance and toward paying someone else to do everything.
Women want me, doughbellies fear me. - Little Debbie Prostaff

VaTrout

Quote from: NCsporksman on September 13, 2016, 08:57:09 AM
Almost every restaurant account I walk into is asking me if I know any skilled line cooks, the mainstay workforce (Hispanics) are moving to higher paying construction jobs and most kids starting out in the field with culinary degrees feel entitled to start in management positions. I worked as a line cook for years and regularly got promoted over Johnson and Wales grads who weren't willing to put any effort into an entry level job. Then again who can blame a kid who just payed 30k a year for a degree in an industry that pays entry level employees $12 phr on a good day.

Same up here.  I can get you a job in a  restaurant right now if you are willing to work.  And the ones who just graduated culinary school really don't know what they think the do....