Posted on 11/28/2011 9:40:09 AM PST by SeekAndFind
We hear so much these days about the unemployment figures and the lack of good paying jobs for the disappearing middle class that it’s almost become the new normal. Combined with that, the plaintive cries from the OWS occupiers about the heavy burdens of oppressive college loans for graduates unable to find work have become a regular fixture in political discussions. Which is why it’s odd when we see the Wall Street Journal reporting on employers looking to fill relatively high wage jobs and having little to no success in finding takers.
Ferrie Baileys job should be easy: hiring workers amid the worst stretch of unemployment since the Depression.
A recruiter for Union Pacific Corp., she has openings to fill, the kind that sometimes seem to have all but vanished: secure, well-paying jobs with good benefits that dont require a college degree.
But they require specialized skillsexpertise in short supply even with the unemployment rate at 9%. Which is why on a recent morning the recruiter found herself in a hiring hall here anxiously awaiting the arrival of just two people she had invited to interviews, winnowed from an initial group of nearly five dozen applicants. With minutes to go, the folding chairs sat empty. I dont think theyre going to show, Ms. Bailey said, pacing in the basement room.
Moe Lane jumps on this opportunity with a decision to send the kids to electrician’s school.
Or maybe itll be plumbers school. Or welding. Doesnt really matter: until people dont have to spend tens of thousands of dollars a year to get poorly educated for white-collar jobs that dont actually exist, some sort of technical training is looking more and more attractive. Were always going to need electricians and plumbers, and they can improve their minds on their lunch breaks. Which theyll get, because were always going to need electricians and plumbers.
It’s a valid point which we’ve made here before and always draw criticism for it. I’m not saying there’s no value to a college education. Having the right sheepskin and a willingness to work hard is absolutely a solid course for those with the ability to pursue it. But not everyone can and – increasingly – fewer and fewer are willing to look at lower cost but potentially productive alternate paths.
I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating. Right in my neighborhood there is the son of one of my neighbors who finished high school several years back and went into an apprenticeship and technical school training program for heating and air conditioning. Within six months of graduating high school he had a secure, full time job which is bringing in some seriously good pay and benefits. Yes, the job involves hard work, finds him coming home covered in dirt and dust, and he frequently has to deal with irate, if not panicking homeowners. But he had no outstanding debt and at the age of 25 was already purchasing his first home. As his father tells it, he got a terrific rate on it, putting down a very substantial down payment.
The point is, there is still blue collar work out there to be done. And unlike many white collar jobs, a lot of it will never be able to be outsourced to other countries, as so often happens to computer programming jobs and others in related fields. Nobody is going to be able to log in to “the cloud” from Brazil and dig a new foundation for your home, wire it up, install the plumbing or put on a new roof. Those jobs will remain here at home.
I would once again suggest taking a look at Matthew B. Crawford’s wonderful book, Shop Class as Soulcraft. In it, he examines what he describes as “the value of work.” He also notes with dismay the decades long trend of high schools abandoning shop class and any other training for skills requiring the use of your hands. When schools began to push everyone to go to a university, they also seemed to scorn and delegitimize the trades, much to our detriment. And now we see jobs which could help rebuild the middle class going empty because we’ve forgotten the value of good old fashioned work.
Sorry bud, I’m clean. And I would be busting down the door to UP if I had the qualifications. What are yours, other than personal attacks and ability to whine out loud?
>>I would once again suggest taking a look at Matthew B. Crawfords wonderful book, Shop Class as Soulcraft. In it, he examines what he describes as the value of work.
I’ve read this book twice and frankly, it is so thick with arcane philosophical references, I don’t see what value it brings to most people. His shorter MY Times article describes the most important points without the twisted Ivory Tower discussions.
Right, so let's ignore the obvious answer and supplant it with one that conforms to our bias. Give me a break.
Don't worry though, our ruling class will make sure there are mexicans available to fill the job at cut rate wages!
Roofers and carpenters used to think they had relatively secure jobs.
Do you really think Union Pacific Corp. cant find qualified electricians with experience working on diesel engines?
There's not a job shortage, there's a work ethic shortage.
You are 100% right about liability being a primary concern. I’ve used a Sawstop and it is an excellent table saw as well. If it just had the safety part, it wouldn’t sell nearly as well I don’t think.
Damn, the bandsaw has to be the safest machine in most wood shops. You really have to be a stoner to slice off your finger on it. Now a router table...
Should be “NY Times article”
“While hourly wages in the broad category of maintenance and repair workers rose 6.4% from 2007 to 2010, increases were 10% in the subcategory of heavy-vehicle mechanics and 15% for specialists in electrical repairs on commercial and industrial equipment.”
Yeah, right after you give me a foot massage.
Since the article doesn’t specify how much these “high wages” actually are, I’m guessing they’re probably offering about $9 an hour. If the wages were truly “high,” the article would say how much they were.
A railroad company in my local community has advertised for trainees, brakeman/conductor/engineer combined, to work on trains. The job is very dangerous, people do get killed, and the hours are highly irregular and all over the clock. This is not a job you do until retirement, as leaping onto, or leaping down from, a moving train is hard on the body.
My nephew always wanted to be a train engineer. He has applied for the position along with 6 other daring young men. Two have already failed the drug test!
I’ve always encouraged him to do what he loves as that is the best path to financial success. He used to be crazy about computers and it looked like he would go into IT. He has changed his mind and is looking at trains instead. OK. But I’ve encouraged him to acquire other skills, such as welding, machining, or keeping up with computer technology for that day when physically he can no long work trains.
Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs) has addressed this with his Project Mike Rowe Works
http://www.mikeroweworks.com/2011/11/repairing-americas-infrastructure-roads-and-bridges/
Highly recommended
TT
A swing and a miss. Employers raise pay not as charity but because it achieves desired results such as filling positions; the data you posted showing rising pay for skilled labor indicates that rising pay successfully fills positions - no surprise to anyone who has even a passing familiarity with basic economics.
during the worst economic crisis since the Depression?
Looking past the sound bites, economic crises don't affect everyone equally - as you should have deduced from the data you posted showing rising pay for skilled labor even during the worst economic crisis since the Depression.
Work Conditions:
Outside work is required regardless of weather conditions.Must wear personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, safety boots, hard hats, and hearing protection where the company requires. Extensive traveling across Union Pacific's 23 state system could be required at any time with short notice.
Are assigned to traveling system work gangs (i.e., work groups) working on track projects anywhere on the Union Pacific System.
Work site locations may require extended travel away from home.
Outside and exposed to all weather conditions.
Work takes place in many rural remote geographic areas.
Applicants must be willing to work all 3 shifts, if needed, subject to overtime, weekend, holiday, and/or night work. Work may be seasonal based on weather, business conditions, or seniority.
Schedules may consist of five 8-hour days/ 2 days off; four 10-hour days/ 3 days off; or ten 8-hour days followed by accumulated rest days.
The obvious answer is that their “good pay” may be not be all that great. All jobs claims to offer “good pay.” But it’s up to the hiree to decide if it’s good enough. Obviously it isnt.
If you are arguing that wages are not rising quickly enough to your liking (or out of some metaphysical belief that UP should offer more--according to your liking), then you have little idea of the current job market.
The sense of entitlement is running strong in this thread. You are not entitled to a higher wage because an employer cannot find someone with your skillset. Nor is an employer obligated to pay an astronomical salary because someone on FR thinks they pay too little.
Thank you for the view from Zucotti Park.
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