Posted on 04/03/2007 9:33:36 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
Employers in some unlikely places say they're having trouble filling jobs. Factory managers in Ho Chi Minh City report many of their $62-a-month workers went home for the Tet holiday in February and never came back. In Bulgaria, computer experts are in such demand they can't be bothered to answer the want ads of a Los Angeles movie studio. And in Peoria, Caterpillar Inc. (CAT ) is struggling to train enough service technicians. The problem in each case: not enough people who are both able and willing to do the work for the posted pay. "We've got a global problem...and it's only going to continue to get worse," says Stephen Hitch, a human resources manager at Caterpillar.
A global labor crunch, already being felt by some employers, appears to have intensified in recent months. That's in spite of widely publicized layoffs, including Citigroup's (C ) plans to shed as many as 15,000 staffers. In fact, U.S. unemployment remains low--just 4.5% in February--and even companies in countries with higher jobless rates are feeling pinched. "It's not just a U.S. phenomenon," says Jeffrey A. Joerres, CEO of Manpower Inc., the staffing agency. On Mar. 29, Manpower was to release the results of a survey of nearly 37,000 employers in 27 countries. The study found that 41% of them are having trouble hiring the people they need.
What's going on here? With global growth running at a strong 5% a year since 2004, the strategies that companies developed to hold down labor costs--including offshoring work to low-wage countries--are running out of gas far sooner than many expected. The seemingly inexhaustible pools of cheap labor from China, India, and elsewhere are drying up as demand outstrips the supply of people with the needed skills.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...
Why should I work when the government will take care of me!?!?
Socialism tend to get in the way...
“What’s going on here?” The market is working. If you can’t get enough workers for the pay you are offering, INCREASE THE OFFER.
TWO wonderful replies!
Right on!
Where are all the workers? Gee, why don’t they ask the pro-abortion lobby.
poobear
Mechanical Contractor, Inc.
I can believe this. There are tons of software jockeys (don’t even get me started on “web developers”), but try finding a guy that can debug his code with an oscilloscope.
We should look into rounding up some of our mexicans and sending them over.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
**Where Are All The Workers? Companies worldwide are suddenly scrambling to manage a labor crunch**
Easy answer:
They were aborted. Never born.
BTTT!
There is a shortage of skilled labor in this country. You can pay all you want. They quit because they DON’T WANT TO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are right but I would modify it..........Good workers quit because they are tired of BS. I am one of them.
I'm having a very hard time finding somebody to mow my lawn for $5 too. However, if I pay $20, there is a very reliable young man (gringo) in our neighborhood who is glad to do it.
**Where Are All The Workers? Companies worldwide are suddenly scrambling to manage a labor crunch**”
They have been se poorly educated the employers cannot find talent to hire.
The schools taught 2 generations of “students” that they could get good grades for “trying” to do the homework, etc.
That chicken is coming home to roost.
Employers don’t pay an employee for “trying”.
“We should look into rounding up some of our mexicans and sending them over.”
Make that all of the illegals from anwhere and I agree!
Many, many millions of American citizens have been aborted. Ergo, labor shortage now.
Finding a guy to do your bookkeeping with an abacus is hard also. And don’t get me started about the difficulty in finding someone to impress the characters in the wet clay.
My hubby is an expert on Labview. Do you know of any freelancing opportunities? There isn’t much call for data acquisition here in Fresno, unfortunately.
Good workers are very rare. The ones who are with me stay because they are compensated well, appreciated and know they have a good future.
Sounds like you need a good Employer. My last one offered to pay for my divorce in order for me to stay. They knew replacing me be almost impossible. I declined of course. Still married after 15 years and our business is booming.
My comments on workers quiting, most feel they can do the 8 hour foot shuffle and get a paycheck. That only applies to Government employees I guess. Try calling a government agency...
Yep, companies will have to start treating their employees better, instead of threatening to replace them with somebody from India. This is good news.
Wasn’t there a thread about worker shortages just the other day? “Unintended” consequences. Or worse, intended.
Well, I feel totally screwed here... I have the VISA required... I have the experience (9years here in Japain, 6 of those years teaching elementary)).. but every year my salary goes DOWN!
When I first got here, I was getting equivalent to $2200/mo... Within 3 years... I was getting equivalent to $3200/month (of course you have to enter in the COL, cost of living)...
And starting about 4 or 5 years ago... everything started going down.. and down.. and down..
Now I am unemployed (sorta.. waiting for my company for the last 2 years to "rehire" me, which may not happen)..
If I am able to get 'rehired', I drop from $2000/mo to $90/day... no pay for off time (meaning no paid vacation time).
The worst thing about this is that the illegal immigrants in the states get better than this :/ At least they can go to any hospital and get the care they need. (NOT saying I want that type of situation.. pop out kids and live here free without working!!!)... Far from it... I believe we all have to fight for our rights.
I know there will be some of you that will suggest I go back to the states... not that easy for me.. I don't have the money, job, family, home, friends (they all married and moved away... and I have NO idea where they are now), drivers license (or even the previous licenses I had before, for example.. State Peace Officer's License) I had when I was last there 9 years ago.
Not that simple....
I just wish there was a way to get these beurocraps here to hear the (LEGAL) foreigners here.
try finding a guy that can debug his code with an oscilloscope.GOOD one ;) These new tech weenies don't know crap... and what happens when the power goes out for good.. and they are left reading books?! sorry... a small rant.. :/
“Factory managers in Ho Chi Minh City report many of their $62-a-month workers went home for the Tet holiday in February and never came back.”
I’d probably stay home too.
OH... forgot to mention that I am paying half my salary for child support back in the states (for 2 kids I never met, thanks to the ‘courts’).. another l.o.n.g. s.t.o.r.y ...
I hear they’re hiring in Hi Chi Minh city for 62 bucks a month.
/s
considering the cost of living there.. might be grand compared to here (and I am sure you were being sarcastic)... but considering the CS I have to pay... no can do... they already took my passport. The only reason I’m still here is that my VISA is still good for another year m(o.O)m
Hard to understand that.
No, you’ve got it all wrong. The workers are all bums who don’t want to work and are just waiting for the chance to go on welfare. The ONLY humans that are worth anything are management, investors and entrepreneurs.
I’m actually a technical recruiter, and I can see the issues many companies are having.
Most of it is money, and employee treatment, they’re not paying well or the company doesn’t treat them well, it’s not just that, but allot of the times the company is looking for the perfect person in a tight industry, they want some one who can hit the ground running, though they may be the only company in the area that does that particular product, so they can’t find anyone.
And don’t get me started on HR, they often overlook strong candidates because they don’t know what they’re recruiting on, either that or they’re hiring based on popularity contest rules instead of skills.
Human resources is usually the biggest obstacle in the hiring process, managers don’t get the see all the candidates, HR usually only send over those they like, so many people who would be a great fit never make it past the “Thank you for applying” e-mail.
The other side of the coin though is that you have allot of people who are out of work looking for more than they’re worth, or looking for the perfect job that doesn’t exist.
There are various reasons why companies are having a hard time finding employees, here is Massachusetts it’s because the pay sucks compared to cost of living in this state.
HR is the largest problem for large companies trying to fill positions. I changed careers and industries partly because of this reason.
As far as I’m concerned this is good news though. Let these companies struggle looking for good/productive workers and they will be forced to offer higher pay, better incentives, better work environment. This should help shake out the unproductive workers.
I don’t need pet health care, flexible hours, fancy coffee, or ergonomic office furniture. What I need is more green.
“They quit because they DON’T WANT TO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Good. More money for me.
Take a look at the abortion numbers in industrialized countries....there may offer an answer....can not flush good quality fetuses down the drain, and expect to maintain the population....
This is just a puff piece for upping H1-B numbers.
I think that's where all the employees have gone.
Well, maybe there is a shortage. I still say, if you pay them enough, they will work.
I couldn’t fix a Caterpillar. But, if you gave me free training, only made me work two hours a day so I could spend most of my time with my kids, and paid me $50/hr, I’d do it.
“Having a hard time finding someone to mow my lawn for $5”
Too bad you don’t live in our area (East Bay, SF Bay Area). My sons are dying for some lawn mowing work, and $5 a lawn works for them.
You sound like a union worker.
Ever tried marketing your skills in the free market?
You would be surprised what you are NOT WORTH!
No offense, but give a go.
LOL, "Atlas Shrugged" in three sentences!
“You sound like a union worker”
Am not. Stay at home mom of five.
I’m just sayin’, $50 an hour is not out of line for skilled labor (plumbers, mechanics, etc., right?) And I’m just sayin’, if they really need repairpersons that bad, that’s what it would take to get me to do it. I can’t work full time with all these little people around, but I could do a couple of hours a day, for $50 an hour. And of course, they’d need to train me.
But I’d do it.
As far as training you or anyone else to this level of employment it take YEARS of experience not to mention money.
No one starts at $50.00 an hour.
Also, I am a parent too. What you are doing is worth MORE than $50.00 an hour. DON’T YOU FORGET THAT!
Love, poobear
You nailed it there. Socialism & unions also demand so much babying that people are not inclined to work like they used to.
abortion and population control limiting the amount of youth in the Western World.
On another note, unskilled/semiskilled industrial employment is what you do when your only alternative is to work the fields. Not a good choice, considering that technology and automation is making much unskilled labor unnecessary.
Its the guys who overstate their qualifications, and take two months to do a two week job that I seem to encounter these days. Its one thing to pay for skills, another to pay just for "time." This is as true in the white collar world as in the blue collar world.
Please don’t tell me you teach English.
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