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In the blue collar jobs, yes there is a shortage of workers that are drug free, eager to work, not covered in tattoos and dependable. Then finding someone to do skilled work with actual skill is another challenge.
I am a manager for a small 15 person plumbing company. I can find “helpers” but skilled plumbers are elusive. Which is why plumbers are now making $50 an hour. The good ones have jobs. The bad ones float around to every company just collecting a paycheck. We have tried training, but you either have it or you don’t.
Yes, my honey has his own blue collar business and he has a tough time. First of all, a lot of jobs like he has to offer are hard to fill because they are not full time or guaranteed hours, and no benefits. They may have a big job over the next two weeks where they need three additional hands, but the rest of the month may be slow or only have smaller jobs that he and his son can do. Many blue collar businesses are like this. So right off the bat you're starting from a different set of candidates. But it is good money, one day of work would get them more than a week at Home Depot would. But most probably couldn't get hired at Home Depot.
So anyway I think it's a combination of things. I think there are shortages in certain industries. But I also think a lot of the jobs that need to be filled are not typical 9-to-5 40 hour a week (or any guaranteed hours a week) with benefits jobs, so that limits the pool.
Yes, my honey has his own blue collar business and he has a tough time. First of all, a lot of jobs like he has to offer are hard to fill because they are not full time or guaranteed hours, and no benefits. They may have a big job over the next two weeks where they need three additional hands, but the rest of the month may be slow or only have smaller jobs that he and his son can do. Many blue collar businesses are like this. So right off the bat you're starting from a different set of candidates. But it is good money, one day of work would get them more than a week at Home Depot would. But most probably couldn't get hired at Home Depot.
So anyway I think it's a combination of things. I think there are shortages in certain industries. But I also think a lot of the jobs that need to be filled are not typical 9-to-5 40 hour a week (or any guaranteed hours a week) with benefits jobs, so that limits the pool.
I think you mean well, but this is an example of the kind of thing many here have spoken about. Your "honey" is viewing this entirely from his perspective and entirely from his needs. If he wants to be able to hire employees in this market than he needs to do more than consider his own circumstances. Maybe he should offer a part time job of 20 hours per week at a reasonably high salary. Yes, there will be time when that employee doesn't have much to do and he is paying for idle hours. However, maybe that's what he needs to do to guarantee he has reliable help when he really needs it.
It should occur to your honey that he isn't getting the best pool of labor out there because what he has to offer just isn't that dependable or that great.
I think there is a tendency on the part of some employers to view labor as simply a commodity, rather than workers as living human beings with their own set of needs.
There should be give and take by both employees and employers. Not just a one-sided view in which the employer claims "he is angry because he cannot get what he wants".
I think you mean well, but this is an example of the kind of thing many here have spoken about. Your "honey" is viewing this entirely from his perspective and entirely from his needs. If he wants to be able to hire employees in this market than he needs to do more than consider his own circumstances. Maybe he should offer a part time job of 20 hours per week at a reasonably high salary. Yes, there will be time when that employee doesn't have much to do and he is paying for idle hours. However, maybe that's what he needs to do to guarantee he has reliable help when he really needs it.
It should occur to your honey that he isn't getting the best pool of labor out there because what he has to offer just isn't that dependable or that great.
I think there is a tendency on the part of some employers to view labor as simply a commodity, rather than workers as living human beings with their own set of needs.
There should be give and take by both employees and employers. Not just a one-sided view in which the employer claims "he is angry because he cannot get what he wants".
He doesn’t have an option to do that. Even he goes through slow times when he himself doesnt have work for a week or two. There’s no way he can guarantee somebody 20 hours a week. He can’t even afford his own health insurance, he uses the VA. But we would lose our home in short order if he had to pay someone 20 hours a week regardless of how much work we got.
There are a lot of small businesses that are in a similar situation. It is not that they don’t want to give guaranteed hours and benefits, they just can’t.
He is very good to his workers. He doesn’t even dock them when he has to drive an hour to a worksite to clean up their trash. No one is making them take the jobs offered, but if you commit to something you should see it through.
I want to add, many of the guys he hires are not skilled. He is training them to do something that they can take forward into the future that is very in demand. It is hardly a one-way street.
I want to add, many of the guys he hires are not skilled. He is training them to do something that they can take forward into the future that is very in demand. It is hardly a one-way street.
And everything you say is probably quite true. But because he doesn't offer much, he doesn't get his pick of workers in an economy with 3.8% unemployment.
Sure he does. But doing so is an existential threat to him.
It will force him to face what he wants (needs) to believe his business actually is.
Quote:
There are a lot of small businesses that are in a similar situation.
It is not that they don’t want to give guaranteed hours and benefits, they just can’t.
Correct.
When these competent guys were running divisions or groups within some larger company...
when they needed Xhours of labor they would have had it available. Either from a pool of laborer
level employees who float around the several projects or by sacrificing some wage-time expense
by having one or two of the higher skilled employees do that scut work for the time needed.
And everything you say is probably quite true. But because he doesn't offer much, he doesn't get his pick of workers in an economy with 3.8% unemployment.
I already stated in my first post he was starting with a different pool of candidates than he would have if he had more to offer, so I'm not sure what your point is.
Sure he does. But doing so is an existential threat to him. It will force him to face what he wants (needs) to believe his business actually is.
Correct.
When these competent guys were running divisions or groups within some larger company...
when they needed Xhours of labor they would have had it available. Either from a pool of laborer
level employees who float around the several projects or by sacrificing some wage-time expense
by having one or two of the higher skilled employees do that scut work for the time needed.
I'm not sure at all what you mean here. When I say he doesn't have the option, I am talking about financially. I'm just as familiar with the financial realities as he is, so what option is it you think we have to come up with another few thousand a month that we don't know about?
Yes, he has a pool of labor, it's just not a very reliable pool. It's not a large company though, it's a small father and son business.
Sure he does. But doing so is an existential threat to him. It will force him to face what he wants (needs) to believe his business actually is.
Correct.
When these competent guys were running divisions or groups within some larger company...
when they needed Xhours of labor they would have had it available. Either from a pool of laborer
level employees who float around the several projects or by sacrificing some wage-time expense
by having one or two of the higher skilled employees do that scut work for the time needed.
I don't know what you mean by this. I know our financial situation, and I can tell you 100% we don't have an extra few thousand a month to pay someone else guaranteed labor and benefits. We struggle with our bills as it is.
He has a pool of labor, it's just not a very reliable one. It's not a large company, it's a small father and son business. Most jobs they do themselves or with 1 other person, but they get large jobs sometimes that require more labor.
Sure he does. But doing so is an existential threat to him. It will force him to face what he wants (needs) to believe his business actually is.
Correct.
When these competent guys were running divisions or groups within some larger company...
when they needed Xhours of labor they would have had it available. Either from a pool of laborer
level employees who float around the several projects or by sacrificing some wage-time expense
by having one or two of the higher skilled employees do that scut work for the time needed.
I don't know what you mean by this. I know our financial situation, and I can tell you 100% we don't have an extra few thousand a month to pay someone else guaranteed labor and benefits. We struggle with our bills as it is.
He has a pool of labor, it's just not a very reliable one. It's not a large company, it's a small father and son business. Most jobs they do themselves or with 1 other person, but they get large jobs sometimes that require more labor.
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