I found this thought funny. A few years ago everyone was all learn to code so you don’t lose your job! Now there wont be any programming jobs in 10 years. But we will need a lot of manual labor still.
I found this thought funny. A few years ago everyone was all learn to code so you don’t lose your job! Now there wont be any programming jobs in 10 years. But we will need a lot of manual labor still.
It’s not so much we need manual labor but skilled technical labor. Like plumbing, electrical, working with pulse logic controllers, Mason, welder, Nursing, emergency room technicians. Etc
My dad is a master mason and can’t find anyone at all who wants to do the job. It’s hard, hard work. Unfortunately, it seems like he’s going to have to retire with no apprentices to carry on all his incredible knowledge.
Maybe he should pay more?
Can he afford to?
Current trades are underpaid for what is expected from them.
Then he needs to charge more if he can’t afford to pay his employees more.
If people are willing to pay, sure. But you can pay as much as you want but people won’t necessarily be interested in a skilled trade if the pay in general is low. That is a long term commitment and not solved by a single employer.
It’s a labor market. Employers are not owed slaves.
The other side of the coin is that customers aren’t obligated to buy. There’s always a limit to how expensive you can make a product/service before people will simply stop paying for it. Trying to find that balance point can be damned difficult.
Yeah, that’s a market.
A lot of union halls have expanded their apprentice programs – they just need qualified people to apply and unfortunately, many do not choose to stay preferring an air conditioned office or remote work from home or even the big box store vs the dirty, hot construction site+ classes (our IBEW actually has apprentices working 4 days and school 1 day, when my husband apprenticed, he went to school to nights a week after work). It is hard work, lifting heavy things, random drug testing, working off ladders, carrying a lot of tools and requires a good working knowledge of trigonometry (although many use apps on their phones now-- didn’t exist when he entered it). They are a lot more nicer to apprentices these days as well. It is interesting that we are seeing more middle aged people entering the apprentice programs now, second careers.
Currently there is a big shortage in Nuclear Medicine (NM) Technicians (with PET and CT certs as well) and ECHO technicians (particularly those with certification with infant ECHO). The hospital I work in started an ECHO school because so many leave to travel or go to the cardiology offices. It is the only way we can keep staffed. NM-- we are reduced in the cardiology offices to hiring on one travel tech per office (we used to have 3 techs at a time). With one tech, they have to provide extra nursing support and it is almost harder to keep office nurses.
Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places but it seems nobody wants to train technical labor at least in northern Alabama. But the political climate has thrown a wrench in jobs rn
Unions are pretty weak in the South. Go North. MA, IL, WI, NY, PA, MI… That said, I think there will be opportunity in AL – didn’t the state get a new industry that will provide a large number of jobs coming-- A new aviation facility? They will have to build it and may need to increase the workforce so there may be training opportunities for that. I know my community has expanded new programs at the CC for Micron’s approaching construction and implementation.
As a skilled technical laborer, I utilize AI to remind me of niche topics I’ve forgotten on the fly, and it’s shockingly accurate. I think I’ve seen one mistake in 2 years, and it was a minor one at that. Luckily, we’re not quite at the point where robotics can replace me, but I could see it replacing 50% of my workplace in my lifetime.