AT&T CEO says hard to find skilled U.S. workers

yahoo ^ | March 26, 2008 | Jim Forsyth

[Lurking in Kansas]

I don’t know many people who aspire to be customer service reps.

Right, because they pay them peanuts. If service reps started at $75K a year, people would be lined up for miles applying. You'd have college graduates and excellent customer service.

Business, like everything in life, you get what you pay for.

Duh.

[hole_n_one]

It took the missus and me 24 hours and about a dozen phone calls to Apu and his cousins in Mumbai to get a fuggin' cell phone activated. If it was a Slurpee machine, I bet that sumbitch would have been puking out cherry-lime brain freezers in five minutes.

Too bad it's too many letters.

It would make a great tag line.

[HAL9000]

"We're having trouble finding the numbers that we need with the skills that are required to do these jobs," AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson told a business group in San Antonio, where the company's headquarters is located.

This is not a surprise, it's an obvious consequence of AT&T's short-sighted business practices. AT&T is more interested in running underwater cables to China than providing reliable service to their U.S. wireline franchise areas - wirelines that could have been used to keep the U.S. workforce competitive.

[1rudeboy]

LOL--Any other entry-level positions you want to price at $75K?

It's a huge company, it has the money! LOL

[Bronzewound]

Globalization - leveling the playing field for the good of us all.

[RDTF]

I know a lot of people, mostly in NJ, that have gone thru it too

[Lokibob]

“Translation: Folks just won’t work for $7.50 an hour and no benefits”

A friend went to work for a call center, customer service, $10/hr plus 35% benefits. I thought it was a fair starting wage.

He quit in 3 months, figured he was worth more than that.

....Bob

[eyedigress]

How about Apu wants my SSN, I don't think so!

[puppypusher]

Who the hell is does this guy think he’s fooling.Yea! its really hard to find quality employees if you only want to pay them a minimum wage.

What a damn fool. This guy make me want to get rid of AT&T as a telephone and Internet service provider.

There are millions od Americans that are more than qualified to do any job that AT&T has and if they don’t have the initial qualifications they can learn on the job.

What’s he want to do outsource to China or higher a bunch of people from south of the border.

[Cobra64]

"Skilled workers" is code for "able to read."

Or have a command of the English language. Listen to kids today. They mumble, their grammar is horrible, they can't read over the third grade level, limited vocabulary, and don't know what the Shift Key is on a keyboard.

[Viking2002]

Thanks, but can you imagine the unending, 24/7 Freepathon that Jim would have to run to buy the extra drive space for stuff like that?? LOL

[Lurking in Kansas]

I love it. Check out this clowns (the CEO) total compensation
http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=1162489&symbol=T

[Lurking in Kansas]

see my link on #32

Funny, you never read about business being unable to find skilled CEOs. Huh?

[1rudeboy]

I just checked AT&T's website. Customer service jobs have the full range of benefits. I don't know where people come up with the "no benefits" nonsense.

Interestingly enough, there's drug-testing and skills-testing to get the job. Here's your problem. It's a crappy job, with crappy hours, and high turnover. You just can't throw money at it like some people are suggesting.

[1rudeboy]

So it’s a class-envy thing with you. Got it.

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

then develop robots - what a whiner

[Eaker]

Government school are geared for political indoctrination, not actual education.

I went to public school so please use smaller words.

Please rush your "for simpletons" post quickly as I work the late shift selling french fries.

BTW the indoctrination really took as I am a Hillary supporter.

[Syntyr]

“I don’t know many people who aspire to be customer service reps.”

Bingo

We have a small call center of 14 people. We pay 26k to 30k per year for CSR’s. Its hard to find people that have a good grasp of the common english language. Our call center manager is always having to review and coach the employees on proper grammer

[TheWasteLand]

Absolutely.

[hedgetrimmer]

They’re liars.