The workforce is still here I think, it's just a different one. Back when I was in high school in the late 70's/early 80's, picking tobacco was the summer job to have. Nasty dirty, sweaty, but you had a job and you had money. After the economy started to pick up people started to get more money for "easier" jobs. Crackdonalds was paying big bucks and had a hard time getting people to work there. The tobacco company hired people from Jamaica to come up and farm the fields. Paid their way, billeted them, food, the whole nine. And I am sure it was less than what the high school kids got.

Big business started sending jobs overseas because labor was cheaper. Build their product there for nothing, pay some kid a quarter a day for his labors and save tons by not paying a hard working American. The Industrial Age was replaced by the IT age. Those are the cool jobs I guess.

Colleges do teach students that they must get an education and must do well in class so they can make money and not end up digging ditches. My Sociology teacher told us that. I thought it rather comical because I am in a trade school, learning how to dig ditches ) Until someone invents a car that never breaks down, or a roof that never leaks, or pipes that never need mending, the real workforce, even though it may be getting smaller, will alwys be here.

Rich

 

In your case, the desk job would be my choice. But, many "blue collar" type jobs, particularly in the trades, pay more than many types of desk jobs ever thought of paying.

Find a local plumber or electrician and go look at their house. These guys aren't hurting. I'm sure it varies with the economy of the area but around any growing city, I'm sure tradesmen make more than many college graduates.

Where I work, laborers make in the low 20's (per hour), skilled trackmen make in the upper 20's per hour. Hell, even our bus drivers make well into the 20's per hour after they have been there a while. Factor in some overtime pay and there are very few of us clock-punchers who make less than our bosses in any given year.

In this case, I'll take the hourly job over the boss (salaried) job any day.

 

Your typical factory rat does not make anywhere near what skilled trades do and are usually the last to be laid off when a company downsizes. Office workers usually are salary get paid the same no matter how many hours your boss tells you have to work. Anything over 8 Mon.-Fri. is overtime(holidays are double)
You also have a desk where your boss can find you.


are you only at work for 8hrs or 8.5?

 

tewferford the job is repairing cabinets. The highest work you will do is about 8 ft off the floor. I only carry a 4 ft ladder. I shut down a good subcontracting company I had over the lack of good workers. My last ad I ran in the local paper only got me about 8 calls. I hired 2 of them & they never showed up. I'd still have my company if I could hire 4 or 5 good dependable trim carpenters. I'd pay $20 per hr to start for good help but even at that wage I can't find workers.I guess I could take a Spanish course & get me a crew & go back in business. I refuse to do this so I'll stick with my job.

 

I have a hard time finding good help. I have had ads in the local paper and get maybe 2-4 applicants. I hire the best of the worst. Very few of the people that come though have clean records and a solid work history.

Heck last year I hired this 20 year old kid with no experience. He was referred to me from a friend. A decent kid that worked hard. Seemed to have the right attitude. I paid him $11/hour with OT on a seasonal basis. As the summer progressed I felt he would have a good addition to my full time crew. Like I said this kid was a good worker. He had some personal issues like a recent divorce and new twins with a different girl. He lived with his parents. He earned my trust and I had confidence in his abilities. I bring him into my office and offer him a $35K job with 80% healthcare, full dental and limited disability insurance and he turned me down. I was shocked. I offered him security and a start to a career and he said NO. I aked him why? He said he could make more money as a electrition. ????????? He has no experience or education in that field. Like I said he was seasonal, so he quit. He tried to collect unemployent but since he quit he couldn't. What does he do now? Seasonal landscaping.

Go figure!

I find this happens alot. Uneducated or unskilled workers feel they should earn $40K+ if they dont, they are ticked and feel undervalued!

 

boxcar1974, This kid saw dollar signs before he knew what was involved in being an electrician.

Know he's a seasonal............................weed puller.

 

It seems like we have the same problems with workers.The skilled ones all have criminal records & wouldn't work a full week if their life depended on it. The good kids I've tried to train think they are worth the same as skilled workers. They don't understand the time I spend with training them cost me time & money plus it gives them a trade they can make a lifes work.Back when I broke out into the construction trades you did good to find someone who would take the time to teach you carpentry. I got lucky by busting my butt & making a couple of contractors think I was worth training. The last one set me up in my own subcontracting business & taught me how to run the company. His help put me on the road to 28yrs of self employment. I'd still be running my company if I could find good dependable workers. I quit because I was sick of working all the time to cover for the days my employees skipped work. I enjoyed firing them when I took the job I have now. They all heard talking on the phone when I told my boss I'd take the job & asked me what about them. I told them their crappy work ethics was reason I was closing my company & they were fired & don't let the door hit them in the *** on the way out. I don't regret it one bit. Would you believe some of my worst workers still call me looking for work. I just laugh & tell them to F off.

 

They are still here ...... you will find them making traffic jams on Central Expressway in Dallas, Monday through Friday.

 

I'm a trainer for a manufacturer in OKC. My two biggest problems with many (not all) of our newer employees are lack of a good work ethic (showing up everyday ready to earn their pay) and poor education (barely able to do basic math). It makes it difficult when we're so desperate for employees that we let things slide that really shouldn't be dealt with in the first place. 10 years ago most of the applicants we have wouldn't make it past the receptionist's desk.

I know there's good workers out there, but I don't have the power at my company to actively seek them out in a meaningful way.

I'm kind of frustrated.

 

We just fired a guy like that last month. He was a good worker when he showed up, problem was he could never make it through a 5 day work week without calling in. It's hard to schedule work with employees like that.

 

well i got word today that our next new piece of sh.. er i mean employee, has a checkered criminal record, with some nice stays in the big big big house. evidently rather than accept the fact that drivers wages have climbed way beyond our scale we will just lower our standards. there was a time that i would just dig down and give more, but now that it is obvious that we wont fix the problem. the company clydesdales have decided to work like the old nags they are hiring. you can only whip a guy like a rented mule for so long. Dan

 

Sometimes I wonder what is going to happen to all of the grown kids, to whom being
gainfully employed is an optional lifestyle, as their parents become unable to support
them. I left home at 16 to seek my living, from there on it has been either work, or
live on the streets. That has been a good motivation for 33 years now.

 

I guess it could be a good thing for those of us in the Gen X. None of the Gen Y kids want trade jobs. Boomers retiring. So guess what? Us Gen X'ers get to write our own paycheques.

 

Man, it'd be nice if some of you guys lived near me. I'd be more than happy to show up 5 days a week and work my butt off for $20 an hr w/benefits instead of making my company thousands and gettin' paid $16 an hr. I totally agree about the kids nowadays who have had everything handed to them and have a 'who needs work' attitude. I payed for my first car, my own insurance, put myself through college, and so and so forth. I can speak for my g/f and I (we both work way more than 40 hr.s a week) that there are still people out there who aren't afraid to work their fingers to the bone. Those that do though tend to get taken advantage of and used and abused and they get tired of it and just leave to find an employer who will recognize the value of a good employee. She's fed up with the long, long hours she works and the politics, and I'm fed up with killing myself and it never being enough and the politics too. I'm leaving my job in three days and she's already looking into other options. I'm leaving my dealership in a bad spot but they knew I was miserable and never bothered to ask why so forget them. Oh well, sorry for rambling sometimes these topics just chafe my *****:-) Good luck to you guys searching for good employees, I hope you snag some.

 

As it seems appropriate at the moment, I'll toss this in here, and see if it sticks anywhere...

Anyone have any opinions as to what kind of career path I could investigate? I've been in trucking for 15 years or so now, and am growing exceedingly weary of it. I've got most of a college degree (but no paper to show for it, and finishing the degree is more or less neither practical or possible at the moment). I've owned my own rig for 7 years now, and have had experience in most areas of trucking, including working in the oilfield.

Being that I'm 37, and not really excited about the possibility of taking a 200% pay cut to start at the bottom all over again, what should I be looking for? Is there anything looking for me that I don't know about?

It's kind of funny... I'm reading many complaints of lack of work ethic, or excessive criminal records. I have neither, but whenever I look at a job that has sufficient income for me to be able to put a roof over my head and pay for my new F250, All I ever see is "BS or MS in (insert field here) and 10 years of experience required."

What am I missing here?

-blaine