Why so many U.S. manufacturers are putting up ‘Help Wanted’ signs

[Bullettime]

Its a multi-faceted issue

They have SKILL jobs that aren't readily taught in any schools except for trade schools and most people that go to trade schools are the ones where its part of the family business. People go to college, not trade school.

On top of that, as stated earlier, they would have to move to where all these jobs are, but that is expensive choice for a "chance" to get a job that you may find out you are not qualified for.

If they really want people to take these jobs, they have to put on the job training with pay and ease them into the roles, you invest (per a work contract so they don't learn and go to a different job later) in your workers so all they know is about your specific business and not a generic version of it, it actually makes them more productive. No one will do that, but its probably one of the better decisions they could do to fill their slots they need.

Exactly. This is, imo, the biggest difference between many of those types of jobs now and 20-30 years ago. You have to be willing or financially able to make the move on a gamble or pay lots of money in transportation applying and interviewing for a long distance job, the jobs require certain skills that aren't as common or "desired" with vocational trade classes becoming rarer, emphasis on college, and less grants/loans for trade schools compounding that problem. Then there is practically no real on the job training like there used to be. You're expected to have lots of experience before you even get in the door, thus narrowing the pool down further.

Basically, there's technically positions to fill but the standards are often too restrictive for the modern labor market.

[Berengil]

" We have lots of unfilled manufacturing jobs"

" must have experience and degree"

#allofmywhat

Companies must come to realize that lots of people can't afford to pay for training (cdl/a trade school/a degree) and so if they (the companies) want workers, the companies have to train them.

[Knaar]

" We have lots of unfilled manufacturing jobs"

" must have experience and degree"

#allofmywhat

Companies must come to realize that lots of people can't afford to pay for training (cdl/a trade school/a degree) and so if they (the companies) want workers, the companies have to train them.

Especially when you see that alot of these job require a 30-60 minutes explanation on what to do (and half of that is about security)
Yes! Let's spend 4 years "learning" for a job that you can master within 1 day of starting it.

[Poopymonster]

Hey guys, let's go where it's cheaper so we can maximize profits.

Sign says: NOW HIRING for new our factory in East Bumblefuck, Iowa.

Town of approx 300 people, including migrant workers. No one wants to live there because it's not the end of the world, but you can see it from there.

[Elegiac]

So basically, small-town folks are refusing to reskill and then complaining when said refusal to reskill precludes gaining new employment, and people don't want to move to Bumfuck, Indiana to work a manufacturing job that's going to be rendered obsolete or outsourced in under a decade anyway.

Go figure.

[Bullettime]

So basically, small-town folks are refusing to reskill and then complaining when said refusal to reskill precludes gaining new employment, and people don't want to move to Bumfuck, Indiana to work a manufacturing job that's going to be rendered obsolete or outsourced in under a decade anyway.

Go figure.

Also the fact that the positions they offer have ridiculous requirements for the work that is actually done. Some of these places want like 5 years experience plus college or semi relevant trade school to do them, when a lot of people in places like Bumfuck, Indiana don't have any of, and if they did, they would be applying it elsewhere.

The entire reason manufacturing jobs were so "awesome" at their height was because they were plentiful, paid well, and gave on the job training. None of that really happens now.

edit: No one is going to move across the country for the gamble at a few manufacturing jobs that require more than what they actually pay. And the locals can't work there because of the barrier for entry.

[Elegiac]

Also the fact that the positions they offer have ridiculous requirements for the work that is actually done. Some of these places want like 5 years experience plus college or semi relevant trade school to do them, when a lot of people in places like Bumfuck, Indiana don't have any of, and if they did, they would be applying it elsewhere.

The entire reason manufacturing jobs were so "awesome" at their height was because they were plentiful, paid well, and gave on the job training. None of that really happens now.

I almost just want 'Middle America's' manufacturing to just fucking die already so we can stop talking about it.

[Bullettime]

I almost just want 'Middle America's' manufacturing to just fucking die already so we can stop talking about it.

I agree. It's a failing industry, worker wise, and I'd much rather see the government help fund actual retraining efforts and the cost of college and trade schools than shit like Trump's Carrier deal.

One note I'll make is that skilled labor is arguably a bigger ticket to a high paying job than most college degrees, just requires getting a little dirty, but people don't realize that it's often even more difficult and expensive to get schooling for than college.

[Elegiac]

I agree. It's a failing industry, worker wise, and I'd much rather see the government help fund actual retraining efforts and the cost of college and trade schools than shit like Trump's Carrier deal.

One note I'll make is that skilled labor is arguably a bigger ticket to a high paying job than most college degrees, just requires getting a little dirty, but people don't realize that it's often even more difficult and expensive to get schooling for than college.

I'd also offer trade schools for contractors as an alternative but, go figure, America's apprenticeship system is a half-pregnant mess as well.

[NED funded]

" We have lots of unfilled manufacturing jobs"

" must have experience and degree"

#allofmywhat

Companies must come to realize that lots of people can't afford to pay for training (cdl/a trade school/a degree) and so if they (the companies) want workers, the companies have to train them.

I linked a reuters special report in which the companies cannot afford those extra costs else they risk not being competitive.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN12Z13F

[Nihilist74]

People don't want to move to where the jobs are for various reasons.

Cant blame them. Why the fuck would anybody want to live in a shitty state like Indiana.

[Elegiac]

I linked a reuters special report in which the companies cannot afford those extra costs else they risk not being competitive.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN12Z13F

Yet another thing that free tertiary education would mitigate.

But hey, socialism.

[Bullettime]

I linked a reuters special report in which the companies cannot afford those extra costs else they risk not being competitive.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN12Z13F

Which is precisely why government funded retraining initiatives and actually looking at the problems with the cost and accessibility of college and trade school over bailing out an industry that needs to be taken out back and shot.

But socialism is bad. We should just keep throwing millions at companies to bail them out to hope they keep a few scrap jobs and that's much better. Wait.....

[NED funded]

Which is precisely why government funded retraining initiatives and actually looking at the problems with the cost and accessibility of college and trade school over bailing out an industry that needs to be taken out back and shot.

But socialism is bad. We should just keep throwing millions at companies to bail them out to hope they keep a few scrap jobs and that's much better. Wait.....

Retraining programs in the US have been a failure as well. I think there was a debate in which if it was for underfunding, needed to be reformed or if the entire thing was doomed to fail from the beggining. I think it's a mix of both underfunding and needing a reform.

[Total Crica]

got some stats?

well, how about the HUGE wall that Trump wants to build? you tryin to say all those mexicans cant afford to move here for a job so we dont need to build it?

[zhero]

the firm set up an apprenticeship, paying promising employees as they learn the trade.

maybe if they listed apprentice positions they would have an easier time filling that toolmaker position instead of listing something with this

Required experience:

Tool Maker: 3 years

Job Type: Full-time

Required education:

High school or equivalent

Job Type: Full-time

Required experience:

Tool Maker: 1 year
Toolmaker: 1 year

[Fugus]

" We have lots of unfilled manufacturing jobs"

" must have experience and degree"

#allofmywhat

Companies must come to realize that lots of people can't afford to pay for training (cdl/a trade school/a degree) and so if they (the companies) want workers, the companies have to train them.

This pretty much times a million.

I have a Walmart Distribution Center around here. I was literally on file for them over a straight decade constantly with only a 6 month lapse. Even when I had to move out of town for a while I still made it a point to come and apply when I came into town regularly. They never hired me and actually had one of their hiring supervisors tell me off the clock when I met them outside of the plant that my college background made me unhirable to them. Said they couldn't legally do it and if I told anyone they would deny it but that was how they worked because they didn't want someone who would finish college and leave to something better and they wanted someone who was stuck and that was the best they could get because it gave them more control.

Then I applied to other places as well that had that same experience/degree crap.

I applied at Time Warner Cable for an installer helper during the early 2000's to learn the trade, they wanted something like 3 years experience for the helper job and 10 years experience for the installer positions they were hiring for and if I had 10 years in with another company doing it, I wouldn't have quite and would be going for retirement at that point.

Even tried to apply for the Geek Squad at the local Best Buy. The sad thing was they know of my work as I used to run a shop with a friend of mine and they would refer customers to use to fix stuff they couldn't and even being better than their guys they refused to do anything because they wanted an associates degree for a job that still didn't pay that great which I never got a chance to get because college costs money and I ran out before I could finish.

Spent years of being stuck where I couldn't finish college because I lacked the money and couldn't get a job to make money because I either didn't have enough school or I had too much. Ended up going into the military to find work because of that crap only to have them fuck up my spine and trying to leave me for dead instead of listening to their own doctors.

I honestly think they need to make On-The-Job training required for any job that they want a visa for and that they must have that job filled with local labor within a year or get that person a full on green card. The crap where they want all their employees pre-trained for everything is crap.

[Rasulis]

" We have lots of unfilled manufacturing jobs"

" must have experience and degree"

#allofmywhat

Companies must come to realize that lots of people can't afford to pay for training (cdl/a trade school/a degree) and so if they (the companies) want workers, the companies have to train them.

Training is expensive. In our firm, we have three people with GMAW, SMAW 3G, 4G and 6G welding certifications, and AWS welding inspector certifications. The initial training and certifications cost on average 10k per person. That is a lot of investment into somebody who may or may not stay with the company.

[Fugus]

Training is expensive. In our firm, we have three people with GMAW, SMAW 3G, 4G and 6G welding certifications, and AWS welding inspector certifications. The initial training and certifications cost on average 10k per person. That is a lot of investment into somebody who may or may not stay with the company.

Then you have terms in the contracts where they have to either work with you for a specified number of years or else they owe you reimbursement for the costs of training and certifying them.

[Mavett]

Then you have terms in the contracts where they have to either work with you for a specified number of years or else they owe you reimbursement for the costs of training and certifying them.

Or just let the person work as an assistant/apprentice with one of the certified people for a couple of months, if the person shows up and does his job properly and shows interest than by all means offer him training, if it doesn't work out everyone can just go their separate ways and none is really hurt by it.