Perhaps they've all been hired.

 

I have a couple of theories. One being the "snob" theory. Nobody seems willing to actually WORK for their money and people that do work in "nasty" jobs are looked upon as second class citizens. I'm the superintendant at a wastewater plant and every time I go to a party with the kids, when the parent's conversations turn to jobs....well, let's just say that not alot of people want to talk to me anymore.

My second theory is that people have gotten tired of working their butts off to make the "higher ups" rich and have started their own businesses. That's the direction I'm heading. Why work nights. holidays, weekends, and crazy hours for somebody else? If I'm going to work like that, I'd rather do it for me and my family. At least I'd see a little more benefit from all of the hours I put in.

So there are my theories (and complaints).

 

I think some of the problem in finding good workers among the younger generation is the fact that the last 20-30 years have been years of relative prosperity, especially the last 10-15 years. (Many) kids reaching working age have never known anything but. They've had their XBox and Nintendo and Playstations handed to them, they've been handed the keys to the SUV as soon as they get their license and have always been pretty well off. What kids these days know what a paper route is, or mowing lawns or shoveling snow for spending money? That kind of stuff builds character and a work ethic.

Another factor is that the schools want and expect everyone to go to college so they can brag about XX% of the grads went off to college. Vocational schools, trade schools and business prep courses in high school are so old fashioned. It's all college prep.
I'm the last one to EVER defend illegal immigration but those people know how to work hard because it is the only way for them to survive.

 

Right now I'm getting a reminder about why I would rather do things myself. Decided to have plumbers replace a 30ft long piece of kitchen cast iron kitchen drain line. They've been here 5 hrs so far and still aren't done. Batteries have been dead, no drop light or extension cord, have loaned the drop light and cord, drill and sawsall. I mean really only one 45deg bend on the whole run. Have another section from the half bath that after seeing the shape this line was in I think I'd better replace. However I'm more inclined to do it myself.

 

yeah, where are the qualified applicants, the drugs ans criminal records, the lack of desire to work, just a few killing my job. not really killing my job, just killing me because we cant get guys to fill the positions, so we have to work harder yet. man dont get me started just experienced one of the funniest days of the year, because of unqualified help. let me just say this kid left ME speechless, i am rarely left with nothing i can say, as some of us know. Dan

 

We had a guy come in today and request an application. He had 2 tatoos on his neck. I have tatoos as well but on the neck? My boss won't even interview him.

 

IDK. I used to think that. Then I watched a few episodes of "Dirty Jobs".

 

I think your on to something there, I also think that college and university are big business and they need customers, so the high schools start brain washing them that anything less than a college education is not exceptable, your right about the job fairs, hardly anyone goes to the trades tables

 

It is more than just the HS. The parents, friends, advertisements and the media all tend to try to steer kids toward white collar jobs. Many kids don't even know about the blue collar jobs out there that can make them a better living. HS have just about eliminated any kind of votech training and are going to having kids earn college credits while still in HS. Heck 30+ years ago when we got engaged my wife's sister asked what I did for a living and when she was told that I worked in a machine shop she told her that she needed to marry a professional since she was going to be a teacher. So far we've made it and I make better money than either the sister or her husband.

 

My thoughts are they want something for nothing. I work a trade job and I started as a electronic repair tech at a casino, great job, fun, met a lot of interesting people. unfortunately I wanted a house, nice car, and I couldn't afford that with what I was making. so I joined the Millwrights. It was even better, hard work at times, long hours, gone from home, but the jobs were getting harder and harder to get. companies started to go non union. Things were going downhill. I turned back to my roots as an electronic tech and now am employed with the railroad, easy job. a lot of kids these days don't really know what it is like to work for something. and business is where a lot of them seem to go. They step on the people that actually keep the companies running, the skilled workers. blue collar workers. The ones that helped to build america, with the iron workers, the electricians, the pipefitters, all the skilled trades, the baby boom is coming to retirement age and at one point unions/non unions did not look at the future, they did not hire more, so more went to school for business, and now a lot of places the use skilled labor/trades are coming into a crisis of not enough younger workers.

 

I was talking to a former school teacher of mine, and he made a comment that the school board wanted to get rid of the shop classes, vocational ag classes, and go more into "business" like classes. he fought taht and they did keep it. Most kids that I know don't know how to build anything whether it be out of wood or metal. with out those classes in school, I would probably have done something else, but I enjoyed shop class, it made me want to get into electronics.

 

However many of the baby boomers didn't put back the money for retirement so now are going to be working longer than before, also some of the companies are starting to see the handwriting on the wall and working with the boomers to let them work some flex hours instead of retiring. Myself I still got a few years to go before being retirement age, but when I do finally retire I would still kind of hope to work part time, but I don't know if I want to stay in the same profession.

 

The baby boomer era is where the knowledge is, they are the ones that have the know how, that you can not get in school. Their are a few at my work that are past retirement age, but do not have the years in for a decent retirement package, so they continue to work and pass on the knowledge.

 

can you blame them? why would anyone want to work so hard labor job for less money than if you worked some nice comfortable desk job.

not saying at all anything worng with either, but heck, look where i work now, it is constantly over 100 degrees every day in the factory, i couldn't imagine myself goign to learn a trade for a while just to go work in these conditions when i can go to school for 3 years and work in the office making even more money.

its to me just common sense.

plus out on the factory, it is way more strict then if you have a "staff" job. on the factory floor people have to swipe a card, they get a whole 30 minute unpaid lunch break and 2 paid 10 minute breaks a day. the staff workers frequently go out in town to a restraurant, have to show up on time, but no electronic swipe card to see if they are 1 minute late, and no one to check either etc etc...

plus the pay, the factory workers, like machinist and machine operators get paid less than the staff workers, so where is the motivation?

so which job would you want?

plus the attitudes towards blue collar workers...well.....

that is why my rear is in college getting my degree.

 

It takes all kinds of people to build a country.

As Rodney once said, "can't we all get along?"

White collar workers designed this country.

Blue collar workers built this country.

We need both.