Exactly. My husband went to work at his factory every day for 27 years. He wasn’t just some shlub that worked the lines either, not that there is anything wrong with a person willing to work hard regardless of the job. He is a robotics arm technician by trade, but all the robotics arms are in China, Mexico or Central/South America. Since his plant moved to Brazil, he became a certified welder, but those jobs aren’t that plentiful right now unless you already have experience. Oh, and he IS a high school grad. Right now we are hoping to get on at some mines out west. We’ll move if we have to. We went to the industrial area of Kentucky/Tennessee and they had signs on the doors “Not accepting applications; please do not inquire.” It reminded me of those signs during the Great Depression saying “No jobs here, keep moving” and I cried almost all the way back home.
He is nearly 50 and not many places willing to hire a 50 year old with no experience when they can get the strength of a 20 year old with no experience.
As a person who thought 20 years ago that industrial insurance was the way to go, I am finding that without industry, not many need insurance. As an account manager with experience in all lines of commercial insurance for builders (only one of the 70 General Contractors I used to represent are still in business), manufacturing, freight, transporation/trucking, etc... I am now working for the census and grateful for that paycheck for these few weeks.
It kind of disheartens me when Freepers want to judge people and I try to explain that this is not the typical recession. Many Freepers feel that lots of people would go back to work if unemployment was stopped and I think “WHERE??? Where would they go? Do you really think people who have house payments and kids to support are happy to work for 40% of their usual income? What kind of world are you not paying attention to?”
But then I usually get a story about a neighbor who is a lazy bum and everything I say gets ignored.
Great post. My thoughts are with you.
There is a company called Precor that recently opened a new manufacturing plant near Greensboro, NC, that had openings for people with experience working with metal, welders, etcetera. They manufacture excercise equipment. I believe their website is their company name, you and/or your husband should give it a look.
BMW in Greer, SC, is hiring 200 people for its assembly line. If you want the name of agency screening applicants, Freep-mail me.