what are the younger generation going to do now? (construction job, middle class, employers)
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They've kept their jobs in spite of a global economy where companies could easily close up shop and farm out their work overseas. That's the alternative. My wages aren't flat and never have been. But, I don't try to stick with one job in one company for 30+ years either. I follow the money. That's the difference today. If you want success you have to go find it. You can't stagnate and expect that it be given to you because of tenure. Needs change and technology changes very frequently. It's a different world now. To stay at the top you have to stay on your toes. Companies didn't change the way the world works, so blaming it on them does no good. We are responsible for ourselves.
I don't disagree that there are some companies out to take advantage of any situation they can. I do blame people for just complaining and taking no action on their own. We don't need to pay a group of people to "protect" us. We need to get off our butts and do something else as uncomfortable as that may be. If calling the company to task doesn't work, move on to something else.
My employer takes care of me very well. I WANT them to make profit. When they make profit I keep my job. In turn, there is more money available in the pool to give raises, promotions, and to increase benefits. When someone comes in to tell them they HAVE to pay more they'd likely do the bare minimum as required by the union. A large local company here went through a union vote a few years back. The company couldn't stop it, but did warn them that if a union got voted in the doors would close within the year and the factory would move the work to one of their other buildings in another state. The company takes very good care of their employees and pays a more than fair wage in our area. There's nothing wrong with that. If the company sees a union as a threat to their business model, some will close up shop and go somewhere else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
Lets look at major reasons for not enough good jobs to satisfy everyone.
The population of the USA has grown more than 50% since 1970.
In the 1970s, families started wanting more than they had in the past, and women started moving into the work place, increasing the number of working women by 41% in the 1970s, and that was only the start of the job growth by women.
Agriculture changed from manual, to mechanical so we went from 1/3rd working people being working in agriculture to only 3.4% of Americans working to produce food on farms. Jobs had to be produced, to employ the people that in last decades worked in agriculture.
The phone system changed. If we still ran the type of operator assisted phone system as at the end of WWII, there are not enough women working, to be able to fill the needs for telephone operators. Rarely do we become involved with operators today, with few jobs. And jobs had to be developed in other fields for what in the past would be working as phone operators. I am not playing down women, but the facts were that almost all telephone operators were women back in those days.
There has been a tremendous growth of Illegal Residents sneaking over our borders, and those people need jobs. These illegal residents are taking a lot of jobs, that would be available to average Americans if there was not such a huge influx of illegal residents. This has been a major factor, and not only in the low end employment picture.
What it all comes down to, is the sheer number of people that have entered the work force is in the many millions, and beyond the ability of private industry to come up with good jobs for everyone.
But the federal government is adding jobs like crazy. Now there are more federal employees, than employed in manufacturing.
A lot of people on these threads, blame the corporations for the problems. They blame them as there are not enough great jobs for everyone. They blame them, because the wages have not grown like crazy which only happens when there is a shortage of potential workers, and companies can increase their prices which leaves more money for higher wages.
What young workers are seeing happen in the work place, is similar to the ones that entered the work force back in the 50s, and 60s. The workers then, did not expect to get to top earnings for a few years, and worked their way up. Today the young people, want to be in the high earning category from day 1 and it is not happening like they expected it would. It is happening more like it was in the 50s, through 70s again. The new normal is becoming the old normal all over again.
What is happening, is the young new work force, is going to have to slow down on their expectations, and grow into the work world as their grandparents, did. It is all due, to the workforce growing by huge numbers, that exceeds the ability of private industry to provide enough jobs people want, at the wages and benefits they want. We are back in normal work conditions again.
Take a look at GDP vs population. The money is still there (actually there is more of it) we have just built a society that values the work product of the select few instead of the many.
Take a look at GDP vs population. The money is still there (actually there is more of it) we have just built a society that values the work product of the select few instead of the many.
To compete in a global economy companies must be strategic, provide value added, be on the cutting edge of technology, AND do all that while minimizing costs. It's a tough set of shoes to fill.
Not true in my area.
We have great vocational schools in the county.
We have shop in the high school.
We also make sure everyone - including gals - has at least 6 weeks of 'shop' in the Family and Consumer Sciences semesters. Everyone - even the guys - are required to take 6 weeks of sewing.
Sadly, this is not the case in the majority of the country. Vocational programs have been gutted at many schools over the years. Many schools don't even have shop classrooms anymore. And Home Ec is looooooooong gone. One of my cousins was a Home Ec teacher. She retired a couple of years ago....and what was left of the program retired with her.
Many were shipped off to BOCES and were considered to the be the "retards" or with the losers who couldn't do anything. That's how was in my high school over 20 years ago! It was a very sad thing to be talked out of a FREE cosmetology program because my guidance counselor said I wasn't a retard....his exact word. Only the retards and losers went to BOCES. Yes, there were some people who went who weren't wrapped too tight, but many of them had actual jobs upon graduation.....one was this kid who was a head banging stoner. Dude was making $40K a few weeks after graduation as a welder.....meanwhile us "smart" kids were going into debt with student loans and 4 more years - minimum - of education. My plan was to work as a hair dresser and go to college part time......but only "retards" did that.....I look back at that today and think WTF? Who put that MORON in a school system?
A niece just got certified as a dialysis tech. It was a 9 month CC program, no associates degree required. Even before she finished the course she started work at $28/hr with full benefits and plenty of overtime, with regular raises. In 5 years she will be vested in the pension program. In 6 months she will be eligible for a 5% 401k match. She gets paid vacations, sick leave and health insurance. She's 22 years old, and doing just fine for herself.
There have always been people who failed, because of a lack of either intelligence or motivation. I am 70 years old and know a lot of people my age who are in a real hard spot because they never did anything with their lives. The big mistake I saw people make was spending money they didn't have. Being able to make the payments does not mean you can afford it. I see a lot of young people today making the same mistake. If you can't manage money, you will end up broke no matter how much you make.
One of my co-workers had a husband who was a dialysis tech. He went back to school for an RN, and makes even more now, doing the same job.
Its because people allow it, people need to live at home and start writing representatives that an offer letter should be a legally binding contract for at least 5 years where the employee can quit but not be fired and the wage is the floor but can go up (not down). When people get active and stop tolerating it it will stop. The first thing you have to get rid of is at-will employment then it gives people a position of security to negotiate further from.
But because employers have 100% of the leverage right now its going to take moving back in with parents to live while this is fixed. Employers want desperate broken families so they can offer wages just high enough to pay the going rent and basic food and a bus pass. They know that when people have no where to go they have to take the low wages and then people are left trying to leverage a few hours after work to look for better jobs or get training. But without any excess money your not going to be paying for many classes.
Write your representitives and get rid of at-will, make job offer legally binding so if you are let go shortly after you can sue and win for total wages for the remainder of the contract (I would push for 5 years minimum).
To compete in a global economy companies must be strategic, provide value added, be on the cutting edge of technology, AND do all that while minimizing costs. It's a tough set of shoes to fill.
Tarrifs can solve that problem as well as jailing people for sharing intellectual property with other countries. We would not be competing if no one else was capable of making what we make (other than maybe Germany and Russia). Japan has got most all these core intellectual property from the USA. WE should not be inventing things for forign countires to leverage all that R&D agasinst us.
but we can fix it with tarrifs so that they can make all they want for cheap but we till just add the tax.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,685 posts, read 57,974,542 times
Reputation: 46166
Your previous term Executive Officer went after WAGE income and businesses that provide JOBS with a very costly vengeance.
It is a different world out there, especially in USA. VALUE added skills / products / businesses left decades ago. SERVICE is where it is at.
2 -class society is quickly arriving.
Plan your exit (from USA or from Lower class). Things will NEVER return, and USA will not be a world leader in the 'End-Game'. might be decades or minutes from now.
in the meantime.
use your energy to transform your path, not to 'beat-your-drum' (As you just witnessed... "Drum Beating" is gone too)
Make investments, buy Service Franchises, build wealth, hire worker bees. .
WAGES ? are not a path to wealth or security.
if you are YOUNG <age 31 "what are the younger generation going to do now?"
Join the Thousands of Europe youth in NZ and AU (work visa 12 -24 month) the kids at https://www.bunnings.com.au/ make A$20. and know and do NOTHING. (I don't recommend THAT at ANY employer).
If you don't have a skill, learn one in your free time. It might come in handy if USA gets overthrown and we all have to be bricklayers building a WALL! (And no straw to reinforce our bricks!)_ BTDT , pyramids are still standing!
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,685 posts, read 57,974,542 times
Reputation: 46166
Quote:
Originally Posted by ss20ts
Sadly, this is not the case in the majority of the country. Vocational programs have been gutted at many schools over the years. .... Who put that MORON in a school system?
USA taxpayer and Teacher's Unions (We are a family with 4 generations of teachers, but we ALL homeschooled our own in the last 2 generations)
Only in USA can you go to school for 16-20 yrs and then find out you don't know or like your chosen field.
Our kids were indentured into trades at age 13, and learned many skills, but went on to use those skills to pay for their college.
Most of their friends had their own businesses while HS homeschoolers.
All are still diligently making their own path (10+ yrs AFTER HS).
Not EZ, there are no 'written directions'. (In USA)... other countries have a 'strategic plan' for their youth and workforce +/-...
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