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I was watching Fox News last night and they had a panel that was going on a rant about how Americans are too lazy to acquire the skills to fill the enoooooourmous number of high-paying job openings in the United States, for which companies have to fill with H1B Visa workers because they "can't find any qualified Americans."
Now, let me explain something to those of you who grew up in previous generations and don't understand what the job market is like for young adults nowadays. It's hyper-competitve as there are so many Americans going to college, so many immigrants coming here to college (my college was about 40% Asians on student visas trying to get into the good programs and obtain work visas here), and, quite frankly, automation is making jobs irrelevant by the boatload.
I did everything that society told me to -- got a STEM degree from a good school, acquired relevant skills, got an entry-level job in the tech sector -- and I can attest that it is still super-competitive to stay relevant in today's job market. Getting an entry-level job in the first place required me to fill out hundreds of applications and get lucky, since "entry-level" means having 5+ years of professional experience. I have to put in a lot of time outside of work to bolster my skills enough to stay relevant. If I even tried to travel the world for a month, I would probably fall through the cracks in society, be considered irrelevant for employment since I would have a "gap" on my resume (OMG! HE DIDN'T WORK FOR 1 MONTH! HE'S LAZY AND PROBABLY LOST ALL HIS SKILLS!!!! ).
I don't mean to focus on the tech sector exclusively. From what I understand, every single sector is over-saturated with job seekers and is raising experience requirements faster than people can possibly acquire the skills.
Of the tens of millions of unemployed and severely underemployed Americans, I guarantee that a lot of them would love to fill the roles that employers are supposedly so desperate to fill, and would be willing to do what it takes to learn the skills necessarily, but the opportunity just isn't there!
I was watching Fox News last night and they had a panel that was going on a rant about how Americans are too lazy to acquire the skills to fill the enoooooourmous number of high-paying job openings in the United States, for which companies have to fill with H1B Visa workers because they "can't find any qualified Americans."
The "lazy American" is the morning chant, and "it's Obamas fault" is the evening one. Then there is also the occasional "they took our jobs" chant.
OP, your first sentence says it all, you were watching Fox News.......
Of course Fox News would ignore the truth and say that Americans are lazy, you don't think Fox would lash out at corporate America do you? I agree with you in the last two paragraphs, the opportunity just isn't there. There's a surplus of labor
OP we need to STOP sending American jobs overseas, via American companies relocating to countries where it is obviously cheaper to pay workers, don't have to provide benefits and don't have to worry about things like OSHA and the EPA. And we need to stop bringing overseas workers here to compete with Americans for jobs. A worldwide "levelling the playing field" is going on. This is what "Globalism" is all about to multi-national corporations. Build it where you can do it at the absolute cheapest and then ship it free of tariff to the place where you can get the absolute top dollar for it. Raise up the third world countries and lower America, all at the expense of the American middle-class laborer, which should be put on the endangered species list along with the spotted owl. Mega-profits and screw the American and western workers if they don't want to work for third world country wages. Perhaps we should bring back major tariff's on things manufactured or assembled partially or wholly outside of the United States, whilst at the same time offering special loans and incentives to businesses inside America that want to produce things, hire (legal) American workers and pay them a living wage if they promise to stay in the country.
I was watching Fox News last night and they had a panel that was going on a rant about how Americans are too lazy to acquire the skills to fill the enoooooourmous number of high-paying job openings in the United States, for which companies have to fill with H1B Visa workers because they "can't find any qualified Americans."
Now, let me explain something to those of you who grew up in previous generations and don't understand what the job market is like for young adults nowadays. It's hyper-competitve as there are so many Americans going to college, so many immigrants coming here to college (my college was about 40% Asians on student visas trying to get into the good programs and obtain work visas here), and, quite frankly, automation is making jobs irrelevant by the boatload.
I did everything that society told me to -- got a STEM degree from a good school, acquired relevant skills, got an entry-level job in the tech sector -- and I can attest that it is still super-competitive to stay relevant in today's job market. Getting an entry-level job in the first place required me to fill out hundreds of applications and get lucky, since "entry-level" means having 5+ years of professional experience. I have to put in a lot of time outside of work to bolster my skills enough to stay relevant. If I even tried to travel the world for a month, I would probably fall through the cracks in society, be considered irrelevant for employment since I would have a "gap" on my resume (OMG! HE DIDN'T WORK FOR 1 MONTH! HE'S LAZY AND PROBABLY LOST ALL HIS SKILLS!!!! ).
I don't mean to focus on the tech sector exclusively. From what I understand, every single sector is over-saturated with job seekers and is raising experience requirements faster than people can possibly acquire the skills.
Of the tens of millions of unemployed and severely underemployed Americans, I guarantee that a lot of them would love to fill the roles that employers are supposedly so desperate to fill, and would be willing to do what it takes to learn the skills necessarily, but the opportunity just isn't there!
Ah, yes...
The lazy, stupid, unqualified American worker meme.
It's nothing new. The right wing has been using this lie for decades, especially in their never ending attempts to destroy unions and justify offshoring. These guys love to hate Americans. A casual stroll through the threads and posts in this forum confirms it all too well.
Well - personally I don't care if your lazy or not. I don't think the government should be involved in deciding who an employer should hire. . .
These programs, like H1 VISA, are just protectionist drivel. If you can get here from India and can fill a job. . .and a employer agrees to hire you over an born america. . all the better. A company maximized the workforce/quality and best price.
That is what we want. . .
all you need to do is have the skills to compete
what latitude and longitude you were born at should entitle you TO NOTHING
its what you do with your life that will make you competitive
I wouldn't say lazy.. . that isn't the issue. Its having the right skills/better skills for the job you want than anyone else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Gringo
And Fox News is their gospel.
a blind squirrel can find an acorn sometimes. . . but it seems to me that Republicans are just as conservative on immigration policies as Democrats.. .unless the people immigrating aren't going to vote republican.
Last edited by ChrisFromChicago; 03-19-2015 at 11:43 AM..
I was watching Fox News last night and they had a panel that was going on a rant about how Americans are too lazy to acquire the skills to fill the enoooooourmous number of high-paying job openings in the United States, for which companies have to fill with H1B Visa workers because they "can't find any qualified Americans."
Now, let me explain something to those of you who grew up in previous generations and don't understand what the job market is like for young adults nowadays. It's hyper-competitve as there are so many Americans going to college, so many immigrants coming here to college (my college was about 40% Asians on student visas trying to get into the good programs and obtain work visas here), and, quite frankly, automation is making jobs irrelevant by the boatload.
I did everything that society told me to -- got a STEM degree from a good school, acquired relevant skills, got an entry-level job in the tech sector -- and I can attest that it is still super-competitive to stay relevant in today's job market. Getting an entry-level job in the first place required me to fill out hundreds of applications and get lucky, since "entry-level" means having 5+ years of professional experience. I have to put in a lot of time outside of work to bolster my skills enough to stay relevant. If I even tried to travel the world for a month, I would probably fall through the cracks in society, be considered irrelevant for employment since I would have a "gap" on my resume (OMG! HE DIDN'T WORK FOR 1 MONTH! HE'S LAZY AND PROBABLY LOST ALL HIS SKILLS!!!! ).
I don't mean to focus on the tech sector exclusively. From what I understand, every single sector is over-saturated with job seekers and is raising experience requirements faster than people can possibly acquire the skills.
Of the tens of millions of unemployed and severely underemployed Americans, I guarantee that a lot of them would love to fill the roles that employers are supposedly so desperate to fill, and would be willing to do what it takes to learn the skills necessarily, but the opportunity just isn't there!
oh cry me a river. the job markets has ALWAYS been hyper competitive. today is nothing new.
oh cry me a river. the job markets has ALWAYS been hyper competitive. today is nothing new.
There is something new. What is new affects all first world countries not just the US. Free trade and removal of protective tariff barriers makes it cheaper to move production to Asian countries and ship the finished product back. It used to be you could land a manufacturing job after high school just by knocking on a few doors. Those jobs are gone, the factories converted to warehouse space, and then later razed for a Home Depot, Walmart, or townhouse development.
There is something new. What is new affects all first world countries not just the US. Free trade and removal of protective tariff barriers makes it cheaper to move production to Asian countries and ship the finished product back. It used to be you could land a manufacturing job after high school just by knocking on a few doors. Those jobs are gone, the factories converted to warehouse space, and then later razed for a Home Depot, Walmart, or townhouse development.
really? factory jobs are gone? i can think of at least three companies right here in my hometown that are factory jobs, leoni cable, triple S plastics, and hughs aircraft/raytheon.
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). 
I'm tired of the "Blame the American for not having a good job" sentiment
But they call themselves "patriots"
