When the down turn hit, Michigan was hit fast and hard. After 2-3 years, people started leaving for other areas. Today, as some jobs have picked up, the people who would have been there to fill them are no longer there.
I have relatives on the west side of Michigan, who whine and complain about how bad things are. They are all unskilled labor. I tell them to go out and learn a skill. They don't understand that when you're unskilled, you have to compete with all the other unskilled laborers for the limited jobs. But a skilled laborer does not have to compete against unskilled labor for a skilled labor job. But also, that even when skilled labor jobs are in short supply, skilled labor can ALWAYS do what the unskilled labor does, thereby creating more competition for the unskilled. Plus, skilled labor in general, has better learning ability and aptitude and work ethic or practices than unskilled.
If somebody is unskilled, there is generally a reason for that. Such as lack of motivation or lack of aptitude. If a person doesn't have the motivation to improve their own life, why would an employer ever think they'll have the motivation to work well. Likewise aptitude. If a person shows a lack of aptitude to become skilled, who will an employer want to hire, someone with or without a skillful aptitude?
I have always told my cousins, that while they were complaining about no work in there area, I could go there and have a job within a few weeks. And probably at better pay.
7 years ago, things were slow in my trade. I went to Manpower, in my area, looking for a welding job, because before I got into the trades I was a welder in factories, and I needed the work.
Put my resume in to Manpower, and had 2 calls for interviews before I got home (a half hour later).
Went to ONE interview. I was hired strictly from my resume and my interview with the shop foreman. He didn't even ask to see one of my welds.
I started on a Monday. The "main guy" who was traing me went on vacation on Wednesday. The foreman was worried that I'd have problems while the other guy was away. Thursday morning the foreman was amazed that I was matching the production of his "main guy" who had been there 13 years. Thursday and Friday the foreman was talking about the home office in Sweden, and sending me to Sweden and learning to be a field troubleshooter. Friday, at the end of the day, he wanted to know if I liked it there, and if I wanted to stay. He wanted to buy my 3 month Manpower contract out, which would have made me a direct employee of the company, with an immediate $2 an hour raise, with reviews after 3, 6 and 12 months, and potentials of up to another $10 an hour after the year.
I got a call that Saturday for a pipefitting job, and left the shop.
The point being, there are jobs out there, for welders, machinists, CNC operators, electricians. Skilled labor. It might not be close by. But for the motivated, the work is out there.
Speaking of work not close by. My current job is about 120 miles round trip, working 10 hours a day.
Back to one of my "unskilled" relatives. I've got a cousin who is 4 months older than me (I'm 49), and she has never had a real job, just babysitting kids. Her middle child graduated HS last year and is going to the local community college to become a social worker. My cousin is on welfare, and was telling me she could have gotten more $$ if her daughter, who is going to school "full time" would also be working x amount of hours also.
My cousin complained that her daughter was going to school "full time" and therefore couldn't work. I explained to my cousin, that I went to school "full time" and also worked 30-40 hours a week and 50-60 during breaks. And that all my buddies that I went to school with, were also "full time" and worked jobs.
The point being, that there is OFTEN (not always) a certain mentality that goes along with being unskilled labor. At least my cousins daughter has SOME motivation to become skilled at something.
We'll see what the future holds though. I just met her first real boyfriend at Thanksgiving. He's cut from the same mold as my cousins, and currently without a job. (As there are NO JOBS there). They had been dating about a month, when I met her boyfriend, at Thanksgiving. About Christmas I found out she was pregnant.
I'm figuring if going to school "full time" and working are too hard, then being pregnant and going to school are going to be even harder. Forget school when the baby arrives.
Oh...and Daddy still doesn't have a job.
In the wise and prophetic words of the great sage John Wayne:
Lifes Hard...
Its even harder when you're stupid.
Thank you!