Posted on 04/03/2007 9:33:36 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
Employers in some unlikely places say they're having trouble filling jobs. Factory managers in Ho Chi Minh City report many of their $62-a-month workers went home for the Tet holiday in February and never came back. In Bulgaria, computer experts are in such demand they can't be bothered to answer the want ads of a Los Angeles movie studio. And in Peoria, Caterpillar Inc. (CAT ) is struggling to train enough service technicians. The problem in each case: not enough people who are both able and willing to do the work for the posted pay. "We've got a global problem...and it's only going to continue to get worse," says Stephen Hitch, a human resources manager at Caterpillar.
A global labor crunch, already being felt by some employers, appears to have intensified in recent months. That's in spite of widely publicized layoffs, including Citigroup's (C ) plans to shed as many as 15,000 staffers. In fact, U.S. unemployment remains low--just 4.5% in February--and even companies in countries with higher jobless rates are feeling pinched. "It's not just a U.S. phenomenon," says Jeffrey A. Joerres, CEO of Manpower Inc., the staffing agency. On Mar. 29, Manpower was to release the results of a survey of nearly 37,000 employers in 27 countries. The study found that 41% of them are having trouble hiring the people they need.
What's going on here? With global growth running at a strong 5% a year since 2004, the strategies that companies developed to hold down labor costs--including offshoring work to low-wage countries--are running out of gas far sooner than many expected. The seemingly inexhaustible pools of cheap labor from China, India, and elsewhere are drying up as demand outstrips the supply of people with the needed skills.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...
Why should I work when the government will take care of me!?!?
Socialism tend to get in the way...
“What’s going on here?” The market is working. If you can’t get enough workers for the pay you are offering, INCREASE THE OFFER.
TWO wonderful replies!
Right on!
Where are all the workers? Gee, why don’t they ask the pro-abortion lobby.
poobear
Mechanical Contractor, Inc.
I can believe this. There are tons of software jockeys (don’t even get me started on “web developers”), but try finding a guy that can debug his code with an oscilloscope.
We should look into rounding up some of our mexicans and sending them over.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
**Where Are All The Workers? Companies worldwide are suddenly scrambling to manage a labor crunch**
Easy answer:
They were aborted. Never born.
BTTT!
There is a shortage of skilled labor in this country. You can pay all you want. They quit because they DON’T WANT TO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are right but I would modify it..........Good workers quit because they are tired of BS. I am one of them.
I'm having a very hard time finding somebody to mow my lawn for $5 too. However, if I pay $20, there is a very reliable young man (gringo) in our neighborhood who is glad to do it.
**Where Are All The Workers? Companies worldwide are suddenly scrambling to manage a labor crunch**”
They have been se poorly educated the employers cannot find talent to hire.
The schools taught 2 generations of “students” that they could get good grades for “trying” to do the homework, etc.
That chicken is coming home to roost.
Employers don’t pay an employee for “trying”.
“We should look into rounding up some of our mexicans and sending them over.”
Make that all of the illegals from anwhere and I agree!
Many, many millions of American citizens have been aborted. Ergo, labor shortage now.
Finding a guy to do your bookkeeping with an abacus is hard also. And don’t get me started about the difficulty in finding someone to impress the characters in the wet clay.
My hubby is an expert on Labview. Do you know of any freelancing opportunities? There isn’t much call for data acquisition here in Fresno, unfortunately.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.