4 U.S. governors on jobs: Not enough (qualified/skilled) workers

[waggy]

From my experience the computer field is fucked.

Places know they can hire cheap as shit from outside the US. So they make the job have insane qualifications with shit pay. Then bitch when no US workers take it. Then they can legally hire visas.

When i started in the 90's If you knew how to turn on a PC you were qualified for the intro jobs! lol A+? Even better!

 

[Brainonska511]

From my experience the computer field is fucked.

Places know they can hire cheap as shit from outside the US. So they make the job have insane qualifications with shit pay. Then bitch when no US workers take it. Then they can legally hire visas.

When i started in the 90's If you knew how to turn on a PC you were qualified for the intro jobs! lol A+? Even better!

It's totally ridiculous. I wouldn't have a problem with H1B if there was truly a legitimate need, but when you see outsourcing companies taking up ~1/3 of the H1B visas per year and the stories about Disney and Southern California Edison workers having to train their replacements from an outsourcing company and then being fired, it makes me think the system needs an overhaul.

 

[werepossum]

I'm not sure why you are bringing manufacturing issues into a thread about technical jobs. Corporations are doing everything in their power to avoid paying us what we are worth.

Because it's the exact same issue. Manufacturing has long been outsourced. Now more and more other jobs are being outsourced. And where the job cannot be moved offshore relatively painlessly, why, just bring in a cheap foreigner.

Better to make fun of the messenger than to acknowledge that the meaning of the message may be correct.

Yup. Sadly.

Times change. You either adapt or you're going to face the consequences.

Why do we insist on living in the past? The 50's are over. Global competition is fierce. You have students from India, China and South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam who are smarter, hungrier and much more determined to succeed.

You have a guy from Syria who comes to America. Doesn't know anyone and can hardly speak English. This same guy will work 90 hours a week without complaint. Within 10 years he's a frekin millionaire. You have many young Americans who don't like work. Why work when they can watch Netflix and play video games all day? They live at home until they're 30. Then they bitch and complain that they can't find work and that their degree is useless.

Obtaining a degree doesn't guarantee that you'll be successful in life. This is the trap that many of these kids are told. Go to school so you can have a job when you graduate. It's bullshit. It takes an awesome attitude to be successful. It takes determination, hustle and the frekin gratitude that you live in the wealthiest country in America. Where anything is possible. You don't even need a degree to be successful. It helps. But, it's not the determining factor. There are plenty of millionaires who have quit or never went to college.

I know I'm generalizing. There are plenty of Americans who want to work. There are also many immigrants who abuse the system. Yea. I get that. But, there is a ton of truth in my rant. Many young Americans are lazy. They view work as something to avoid. Many want to take the easy way out, but life is neither easy or guaranteed. I blame the educational system and parents. Your child isn't a special snowflake, and they are going to get frekin crushed in this new global economy.

There's a lot of truth to that, but it's also largely of our own making. We used to have strict laws against high tech transfer. Accordingly, we remained the high tech leader. We abolished those rules, and now we're gradually losing out to nations with more ruthless rulers and cheaper labor. Same with our market; we are by far the most profitable market in the world, yet instead of charging a premium to compete in it, we intentionally hamstring ourselves. We are the ones who decided to compete on an equal basis with cheap labor in Red China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc.

As far as our youth being lazy special snowflakes without ambition, sure, there's an element of truth to that. Probably has been as long as innovation and technology combine to make life easier. But there are a couple more issues to consider. First, do we really want to still be a society where success requires fifty 100 hour weeks? Second, we have lost much of the jobs at which starting from no education, sheer hard work could move one far up the ladder. Fewer good jobs and more people competing for them lessens the likelihood that working hard pays off significantly.

 

[1prophet]

I'm not sure why you are bringing manufacturing issues into a thread about technical jobs. Corporations are doing everything in their power to avoid paying us what we are worth.

It's all related, jobs we don't need, was the rallying cry of those pushing free trade agreements, and many got fooled thinking they were going to stop with the low hanging fruit, and those of us higher up the tree didn't care because we believed our jobs were safe.

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.

 

[Mai72]

Because it's the exact same issue. Manufacturing has long been outsourced. Now more and more other jobs are being outsourced. And where the job cannot be moved offshore relatively painlessly, why, just bring in a cheap foreigner.


Yup. Sadly.


There's a lot of truth to that, but it's also largely of our own making. We used to have strict laws against high tech transfer. Accordingly, we remained the high tech leader. We abolished those rules, and now we're gradually losing out to nations with more ruthless rulers and cheaper labor. Same with our market; we are by far the most profitable market in the world, yet instead of charging a premium to compete in it, we intentionally hamstring ourselves. We are the ones who decided to compete on an equal basis with cheap labor in Red China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc.

As far as our youth being lazy special snowflakes without ambition, sure, there's an element of truth to that. Probably has been as long as innovation and technology combine to make life easier. But there are a couple more issues to consider. First, do we really want to still be a society where success requires fifty 100 hour weeks? Second, we have lost much of the jobs at which starting from no education, sheer hard work could move one far up the ladder. Fewer good jobs and more people competing for them lessens the likelihood that working hard pays off significantly.

You could still be successful without higher education. There are plenty of salespeople and entrepreneurs who are wildly successful and are financially solvent. I have a friend whose a multi millionaire. Never set foot on a college campus. He's worth millions and was able to retire in his mid 30s. But and this is huge, he worked 90+ hours on his businesses to make it a success.

What's wrong with work. There is nothing wrong with a strong work ethic. Even if it's 100 hours a week. It's what made our county strong and prosperous. Why would we want to dilute work?

Look at our what our attitude towards work has done for this country today. People are more concerned with the weekends than their work. We have an abundance of lazy, unmotivated workers who feel like their entitled to a large weekly paycheck without putting in the hustle.

Imagine if Michael Jordan only practiced 40 hours a week. Imagine if Muhammad Ali took a lazy attitude towards his time in the gym. What if Arnold Schwarzenegger only lifted weights on the weekends? We would have never heard of these superstars. They would have never achieved greatness. They were all highly skilled, but it was their work ethic that put them above their competition. Btw, that's with any profession. Not just sports.

Success takes work period. And lots of it.

 

[debian0001]

Too many people with crappy lib arts degrees.

 

[shortylickens]

Fuck McAullif in the ass.

I have about 10 years total experience as an electronics technician and nobody in Virginia ever calls me back.

Fuckers.

 

[Texashiker]

Fuck McAullif in the ass.

I have about 10 years total experience as an electronics technician and nobody in Virginia ever calls me back.

Fuckers.

Go into the marine industry.

Get a TWIC card, coast guard physical, MMC, and start applying for jobs.

 

[WHAMPOM]

I read/hear about unemployed and underemployed and how young students are unable to pay their student loans because of no full time good paying jobs with benefits.

What do you guys/gals (ya'll) think? True, Not True, Half True?







http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/03/news/economy/us-governors-job-skills/index.html

.

I think low wage states don't get high skill employees.

 

[maluckey]

You could still be successful without higher education. There are plenty of salespeople and entrepreneurs who are wildly successful and are financially solvent. I have a friend whose a multi millionaire. Never set foot on a college campus. He's worth millions and was able to retire in his mid 30s. But and this is huge, he worked 90+ hours on his businesses to make it a success.

What's wrong with work. There is nothing wrong with a strong work ethic. Even if it's 100 hours a week. It's what made our county strong and prosperous. Why would we want to dilute work?

Look at our what our attitude towards work has done for this country today. People are more concerned with the weekends than their work. We have an abundance of lazy, unmotivated workers who feel like their entitled to a large weekly paycheck without putting in the hustle.

Imagine if Michael Jordan only practiced 40 hours a week. Imagine if Muhammad Ali took a lazy attitude towards his time in the gym. What if Arnold Schwarzenegger only lifted weights on the weekends? We would have never heard of these superstars. They would have never achieved greatness. They were all highly skilled, but it was their work ethic that put them above their competition. Btw, that's with any profession. Not just sports.

Success takes work period. And lots of it.

Yup, welcome to the new an improved GLOBAL economy that we've been sold.

I'm a civilian nowadays, and found a job that allows me to succeed by force of willpower and sheer work volume. I make more than enough to retire early. The work is draining, and around 50 -plus hours per week. Not complaining since it's less hours than I typically worked. I have no degree, and worked two or three jobs my whole life (until now). The jobs are out there if you are willing to move to where the jobs are and work like an immigrant.

That's now the standard. You have to move around, and then work like an immigrant to make it. If they work hard, you have to do the same. Keeping immigrant labor out of the workforce just isn't an option now that genie is out of the bottle, so you'll just have to outwork the competition. Sad to say it but the last couple generations are doomed......bunch of lazy fucks living on dreams and fantasies of being special. The only special I see is that mommy andd daddy told them so.......

M

 

[Texashiker]

I started this job 3 months ago

Did you go into a new career?

You have bragged about your wages for a long time. How about toning it down a little bit?

Wages in southeast Texas have been oppressed since the closing of several shipyards in the early 1980s.

I am a little over one year into my new career and I am making close to $50k a year. In 3 - 4 years I am looking at close to $80k.

Let me guess, that is nothing to you right?

This is actually normal for some occupations. People on oil rigs, tankers, merchant ships, fishing boats, on Navy ships, remote oil fields, or pretty much anything where you leave for a few weeks and come back home work those kinds of hours.

The fact some people find it incomprehensible \ unbelievable tells something about them.

There is a large segment of the population that is not willing to make the needed scarifies to learn a new skill or trade. They want to work in a nice clean office. Anything having to do with getting your hands dirty is frowned upon.

 

[Sonikku]

From my experience the computer field is fucked.

Places know they can hire cheap as shit from outside the US. So they make the job have insane qualifications with shit pay. Then bitch when no US workers take it. Then they can legally hire visas.

When i started in the 90's If you knew how to turn on a PC you were qualified for the intro jobs! lol A+? Even better!

I curse my luck being in grade school in the 90's, graduating in 2002 after Bush and 9.11 and the economic death spiral began. I bet if I had been born just a decade sooner I could have got my foot in the door in a good field. These days the job expectations and requirements are so impossibly high for good jobs that the older guys administering the tests probably wouldn't be able to pass them. What it takes to get your foot in the door today is a country wide mile apart from what it took in the 90's.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

You could still be successful without higher education. There are plenty of salespeople and entrepreneurs who are wildly successful and are financially solvent. I have a friend whose a multi millionaire. Never set foot on a college campus. He's worth millions and was able to retire in his mid 30s. But and this is huge, he worked 90+ hours on his businesses to make it a success.

What's wrong with work. There is nothing wrong with a strong work ethic. Even if it's 100 hours a week. It's what made our county strong and prosperous. Why would we want to dilute work?

Look at our what our attitude towards work has done for this country today. People are more concerned with the weekends than their work. We have an abundance of lazy, unmotivated workers who feel like their entitled to a large weekly paycheck without putting in the hustle.

Imagine if Michael Jordan only practiced 40 hours a week. Imagine if Muhammad Ali took a lazy attitude towards his time in the gym. What if Arnold Schwarzenegger only lifted weights on the weekends? We would have never heard of these superstars. They would have never achieved greatness. They were all highly skilled, but it was their work ethic that put them above their competition. Btw, that's with any profession. Not just sports.

Success takes work period. And lots of it.

Working 100 hrs per week for yourself is one thing. Working 100 hrs per week for someone else without additional compensation is insane. I've found that most people who brag about working long hours: 1) don't really work those hours 2) are super inefficient and poor workers 3) lack the backbone to say no. It is a shame that our society has produced generations of work martyrs whose priorities are so messed up.

 

[purbeast0]

as someone in the software industry, finding people to fill jobs is really easy. it's finding good engineers that is tough. many of these cheaper people who are coming from foreign countries suck, so just because companies are paying for cheap labor doesn't mean they're making good products. just look at the state of software right now. yeah it's a lot more complex than it used to be, but it's also a lot buggier because the lack of talent at these places. i know from firsthand experience because i work with quite a few hacks.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Did you go into a new career?

You have bragged about your wages for a long time. How about toning it down a little bit?

Wages in southeast Texas have been oppressed since the closing of several shipyards in the early 1980s.

I am a little over one year into my new career and I am making close to $50k a year. In 3 - 4 years I am looking at close to $80k.

Let me guess, that is nothing to you right?

The wages where you live in Texas have been oppressed for certain skilled laborers that didn't keep up with the times (ie lacking required job certifications) due to working in shipyards and job shops. Wages are not oppressed in the SE Texas, though finding work in the oil and gas business is not good at this time. The chemical business is booming in the Gulf coast area of the US.

After my position was eliminated last year I could have taken at least 10 positions that paid less and had extremely limited advancement possibilities than I had with my previous job but I chose not to do so and continue searching. After 4 months things started to come together and I had 4 positions that were a good fit for my skills/knowledge and paid well/had good benefits. I took the one that had good advancement possibilities even though had to go back in the field and being on the road again. View it as you may but I started new career as well.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Working 100 hrs per week for yourself is one thing. Working 100 hrs per week for someone else without additional compensation is insane. I've found that most people who brag about working long hours: 1) don't really work those hours 2) are super inefficient and poor workers 3) lack the backbone to say no. It is a shame that our society has produced generations of work martyrs whose priorities are so messed up.

Working 100 hours a week is ridiculous. Even working 84 hours a week for more than 2 weeks results in more accidents due to fatigue. Most oil/chemical companies are now requiring a fatigue day every 13 days for people who are working 12 hour days. From my experience working more than 10 hours a days results in diminishing returns for every hour past 10 hours. If overtime is required working six 10 hour days a week with a day off is far better for the employee and business.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Working 100 hours a week is ridiculous. Even working 84 hours a week for more than 2 weeks results in more accidents due to fatigue. Most oil/chemical companies are now requiring a fatigue day every 13 days for people who are working 12 hour days. From my experience working more than 10 hours a days results in diminishing returns for every hour past 10 hours. If overtime is required working six 10 hour days a week with a day off is far better for the employee and business.

If I'm expected to work more than 40 hours on a regular basis, I need to be compensated for the extra time - my time isn't a charitable contribution to businesses raking in millions or billions. But you're right - at some point, the compensation won't be enough regardless; those kinds of hours burn your brain out fast and you become prone to accidents, depression, etc.

These salaried folks who claim they're working 80-100 hours every week? Many (most?) of them greatly exaggerate their hours. You don't get to count lunch or commutes to/from work as "work," which many people do. Others who really do work those hours seem to spend half their days chit chatting in the halls or on the phone. And then there is a small portion of those people who really DO work those hours and actually produce - they're the ones who lack backbone to say no OR they have no life.

 

[Chiropteran]

How do you become skilled.
Employers do not train anymore. You're just going to leave anyway.
In my dads day, you stayed for life.

This is seriously it.

Companies put way too much faith in silly paper certifications & degrees instead of simply hiring an eager employee who can learn the job after a few days of training.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

If I'm expected to work more than 40 hours on a regular basis, I need to be compensated for the extra time - my time isn't a charitable contribution to businesses raking in millions or billions. But you're right - at some point, the compensation won't be enough regardless; those kinds of hours burn your brain out fast and you become prone to accidents, depression, etc.

These salaried folks who claim they're working 80-100 hours every week? Many (most?) of them greatly exaggerate their hours. You don't get to count lunch or commutes to/from work as "work," which many people do. Others who really do work those hours seem to spend half their days chit chatting in the halls or on the phone. And then there is a small portion of those people who really DO work those hours and actually produce - they're the ones who lack backbone to say no OR they have no life.

I'm guaranteed 40 hours a week however, I am properly compensated for any additional time worked. I get paid time and a half over 40 hours. I'm also paid double time on Sundays/Holidays/any time over 12 hours in a day.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'm guaranteed 40 hours a week however, I am properly compensated for any additional time worked. I get paid time and a half over 40 hours. I'm also paid double time on Sundays/Holidays/any time over 12 hours in a day.

When I was a full-time consultant who got paid for every hour I worked, I welcomed OT (within reason). Right now, I have a side consulting job that pays me for every hour I work and I'm generally happy to work as many hours as they need (again, within reason).

However, I've had salaried positions in the past which asked you to work 50-60 hours per week or more. I'm OK with that if it is rare and it is a go-live or to complete a project on a deadline, but not if it is regular work. I'll quit and go elsewhere.

 

[mect]

It blows my mind that some people think all our advancements in society should push us towards higher stress, more miserable lives. Don't get me wrong, I think that a strong work ethic is important, but I think working 80 hour weeks on a regular basis is insanity. A 35-40 hour work week allows a person to contribute and feel productive, and gives them plenty of time for things more important than work, like time to be a parent, time to enjoy recreation, and time to enjoy life. While a few fortunate people may have jobs that they enjoy all the time, for most people, there is a reason its called a job. I like most of what I do for my job, but I still wouldn't want to work 80 hour weeks on a regular basis. It leads to narrow focus and less productivity. That is one thing I'll give Millennials, they do seem to have a much better understanding of what is important. A good work life balance is more important than material possessions. At least in my opinion.

 

[Texashiker]

The wages where you live in Texas have been oppressed for certain skilled laborers that didn't keep up with the times (ie lacking required job certifications) due to working in shipyards and job shops. Wages are not oppressed in the SE Texas, though finding work in the oil and gas business is not good at this time. The chemical business is booming in the Gulf coast area of the US.

Southeast Texas, beaumont, port arthur, orange, bridge city,,,, make a lot less than other parts of Texas. Shipyards were paying $16 an hour back in the late 1970s. Today, various companies are barely paying more than that.

There is supposed to be another LNG plant built close to sabine pass. When that kicks off hopefully wages will go up in the area.

Companies that do pay good are construction and temp jobs.

 

[MajinCry]

Go on any job recruitment site, and look for something in, say, software development.

You'll find that the entry positions pay £12k-£20k, and require 5+ years of experience in more than two languages. For web development, oh lord. They want Java, Css, PhP, Flash, etc., just for that one job.

An entry position shouldn't have the same requirements as the highest rung on the ladder.

 

[sm625]

This is a fine axample of long running narrative wholly manufactured by the corporate media. Job openings are intentionally overstated as part of corporate policy to bring in more H1B workers for low wages. Its not that they cant find people, they cant find people who will work for what they want to pay.

Look at that chart. If there was a shortage or ANY sort, then those graphs would be rising. You can see that there actually was a shortage in 1999, from the tech bubble. That is what happens when you have a shortage. What this is really about is eliminating those $80K jobs and replacing them with $40K jobs. This narrative is necessary in order to accomplish that goal.

 

[BurnItDwn]

This is a fine axample of long running narrative wholly manufactured by the corporate media. Job openings are intentionally overstated as part of corporate policy to bring in more H1B workers for low wages. Its not that they cant find people, they cant find people who will work for what they want to pay.

Look at that chart. If there was a shortage or ANY sort, then those graphs would be rising. You can see that there actually was a shortage in 1999, from the tech bubble. That is what happens when you have a shortage. What this is really about is eliminating those $80K jobs and replacing them with $40K jobs. This narrative is necessary in order to accomplish that goal.

Agree 10000%
Set the minimum pay for H1B worker to 200K or 300K and then they will more or less just talk about the surplus of workers.