Post: #1

Ya gotta love the people who fix and actually make things. The world is filled with lawyers that cannot change a lightbulb.


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Workers with specialized skills like electricians, carpenters and welders are in critically short supply in many large economies, a shortfall that marks another obstacle to the global economic recovery, a research paper by Manpower Inc (NYSE:MAN - News) concludes.

"It becomes a real choke-point in future economic growth," Manpower Chief Executive Jeff Joerres said. "We believe strongly this is really an issue in the labor market."

The global staffing and employment services company says employers, governments and trade groups need to collaborate on strategic migration policies that can alleviate such worker shortages. Skilled work is usually specific to a given location: the work cannot move, so the workers have to.

The shortage of skilled workers is the No. 1 or No. 2 hiring challenge in six of the 10 biggest economies, Manpower found in a recent survey of 35,000 employers. Skilled trades were the top area of shortage in 10 of 17 European countries, according to the survey.

While the short-term way to address to shortages is to embrace migration, the long-term solution is to change attitudes toward skilled trades, Manpower argues.

Since the 1970s, parents have been told that a university degree -- and the entry it affords into the so-called knowledge economy -- was the only track to a financially secure profession. But all of the skilled trades offer a career path with an almost assured income, Joerres said, and make it possible to open one's own business.

In the United States, recession and persistent high unemployment may lead parents and young people entering the workforce to reconsider their options.

WELDERS NEEDED

I think it is time for a pork the people hard year.

Post: #2

I have been a welder for 12 years, a millwright by trade , prior to that I ran my own sub contracting business.

Do you really want to know why people are not entering the trades?

The trades are the most over regulated over taxed segment of the population, run your own small contractor business and you pay 55% of your income in taxes, and another 20% percent in licensing, and regulatory fee's.


Until those greedy fucks take their hands out of the pocket of those people with skills they can expect a growing shortage.

fucking short sighted governmental bullshit.

Post: #3

I agree with that for sure. Mass is doing this thing where whoever even touches sheet metal will have to be certified. The license is 300.00 and the only ones that are excempt are the unions. A small business company could get tossed out. The stimulus money........only unions can bid on any of those projects and we all know whos pocket unions are in, yup the government. Chicago business as usual.

Post: #4

Maggot, your state is robbing you. I've never seen prices so high as what you have mentioned recently.

Post: #5

We have a roofing and gutter business and I literally get sick thinking about all the fees and regulations. I'm sick of the whole fucking business actually. It's a living, but it's probally one of the most stressfull one a person could have.

You know, you can get any type of work done on your home and just not pay for it, the contractor can only send you a notice to owner and then put a lien on your home. If you're not planning to sell the home then who cares anyway. The contractor has 1 year to hire a lawyer and take you to court which really isn't worth it for anything less then $5000.00. The contractor has no rights, so go ahead and fix up your house. You won't have to pay for it. I really want to go on a killing spree right now.

Post: #6

when i put a new roof on last year, i paid half before the contractor purchased the materials, and the remainder the day they started the job! i would have had to hunt them down if they hadn't been legit. i did check occupational license and references however.
don't most contractors get at least some money up front to protect themselves?

Post: #7

(08-27-2010 09:18 PM)Lady Cop Wrote:  when i put a new roof on last year, i paid half before the contractor purchased the materials, and the remainder before they started the job! i would have had to hunt them down if they hadn't been legit. i did check occupational license and references however.
don't most contractors get at least some money up front to protect themselves?

We always get a deposit for roofs and big jobs, but we also do small jobs between $150 and $1200 and don't ask for a deposit because competition doesn't allow it. It's not so much the commercial work that doesn't pay, but it's these small residential jobs. It isn't much but it adds up when there are 20 other scumbags taking their sweet ass time to pay or just not paying at all. They're the ones who insist on a certain time to be there and then they conveniently leave 15 minutes before the job is done.

Post: #8

They also seem to think that they can test out the gutter system before paying for services rendered, even if it that means waiting a month for the first rain. Then they stand out in the pouring rain and check every little fucking spot. Sometimes they take a hose up there to water test it before the god damn caulking has even dried and then call back to say it's leaking. I get 20 calls a week saying that the gutter we installed is leaking and they're going to the BBB and then we go out there and they have fucking trees growing out of them. God damn mother fuckers!

Post: #9

Maggot put a new furnace in my house.




i paid him in beer.

Post: #10

I was thirsty!