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There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

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Re: There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

#2
I'm trying to reconcile these two quotes:

> a few good auto-glass installers, no experience necessary

and,

> commissioned a study of company shortages. Energy, water, and land came up, but the No. 1 answer around the world was skilled labor

Perhaps no experience is necessary for the auto-glass gig, but the metal stamping and machining? Are these all trades one can pick up on the job, by walking in from the street? Because if so, potential workers are leaving money on the table.

More likely, they have stopped looking for work altogether. Unemployment is often discussed, but the Labor Participation Rate is less so, which fell greatly [1] after 2008.

[1] http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS12300000

Re: There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

#3
I feel like I've seen a lot of articles about people who can't find jobs or who are worried about their increasingly-outdated jobs going away in the short term. This article says we also have a lot of jobs that can't find people. What's the missing piece? Re-training? What does that actually look like for a 30- or 40-year-old person who has a family to support and doesn't much care for government handouts?

Re: There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

#4
post #2

I'm trying to reconcile these two quotes: > a few good auto-glass installers, no experience necessary and, > commissioned a study of company shortages. Energy, water, and land came up, but the No. 1 answer around the world was skilled labor Perhaps no experience is necessary for the auto-glass gig, but the metal stamping and machining? Are these all trades one can pick up on the job, by walking in from the street? Be…

The anecdote at the beginning of news articles is often meaningless, but people like hearing specific stories rather then trends in graphs so it's fairly de rigueur.

Re: There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

#5
If we're generous and say that the auto-glass installer job pays a bonus of $10,000 a year that leaves $60,000 earned at $12/hour ... which is about 96 hours a week. I can think of plenty of reasons why you'd have trouble finding people to do that job.

Re: There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

#6
I'm always baffled by the people in these articles. From the anecdote at the beginning: he's having trouble hiring people for $12/hour (up to $70K/year with bonuses, etc).

I am also having trouble hiring people: I need a senior software engineer. Pay is $12/hour. It's taking me a long time to find workers. I guess people are just lazy and don't want to work.

Re: There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

#7
post #5

If we're generous and say that the auto-glass installer job pays a bonus of $10,000 a year that leaves $60,000 earned at $12/hour ... which is about 96 hours a week. I can think of plenty of reasons why you'd have trouble finding people to do that job.

"...pay starts at $12 an hour and goes up to $70,000 a year including overtime and bonuses..."

So let's call it $24k (not including bonuses) up to $70k (including bonuses). That's my interpretation.

Re: There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

#8
post #3

I feel like I've seen a lot of articles about people who can't find jobs or who are worried about their increasingly-outdated jobs going away in the short term. This article says we also have a lot of jobs that can't find people. What's the missing piece? Re-training? What does that actually look like for a 30- or 40-year-old person who has a family to support and doesn't much care for government handouts?

I'm hypothesizing, but I imagine a lot of it has to do with geographical mismatch. How many auto-glass installers do you need in Elkhart, Indiana [1]? Or Casper, Wyoming, or Lafayette, Louisiana?

EDIT: to expand on my point, in metropolitan areas that are experiencing a population boom, demand creates opportunities for businesses, and therefore opportunities for prospective workers. It's a virtuous cycle. Meanwhile, a large employer's departure in established areas will leave behind skilled talent, but some of those people will depart and disperse, making the area less attractive for new job creation in related fields.

[1] https://www.bls.gov/news.release/metro.nr0.htm

Re: There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

#9

I'm always baffled by the people in these articles. From the anecdote at the beginning: he's having trouble hiring people for $12/hour (up to $70K/year with bonuses, etc). I am also having trouble hiring people: I need a senior software engineer. Pay is $12/hour. It's taking me a long time to find workers. I guess people are just lazy and don't want to work.

Did you try going to Spanish mass and ask if anyone wants to write you some code like the anecdote did?

Re: There Are Plenty of Jobs Out There, America

#10
post #3

I feel like I've seen a lot of articles about people who can't find jobs or who are worried about their increasingly-outdated jobs going away in the short term. This article says we also have a lot of jobs that can't find people. What's the missing piece? Re-training? What does that actually look like for a 30- or 40-year-old person who has a family to support and doesn't much care for government handouts?

IME, they dont usually train older people. Would be applicants are steered towards private trade schools for training. There is no option for apprenticeships.
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