Building & Design Blog

For the past ten years or so, where are the blue collar jobs that would have supported the need for new construction gone????

Just who, I mean who is in favor of this wildly open economy???

The present pattern repeated again, will see the average consumer lucky to afford WalMart prices.

Open a office in India with J.V with local reputed contractor and visit casualy to just supervise the business.If your Dad has latest technology in construction Industry then he can get good partners here.

Suresh Sharma.

Well it's within the cat family!!!

Apropos, Where have all the blue collar workers gone?

Well since we stopped training apprenticeships in the early 1970s we now have a problem with where to find decent blue collar workers in this country, thats why we import Poles etc.

I completed a five year engineering apprenticeship before going one to further schooling to become an engineer. But today they think that if you do a twelve months training course in engineering you will be able to do a blue collar job satisfactory!

Now at 63 years age and disabled I have been asked to carry on working within the engineering community, but as I am disabled no one will employ me! But why should I bother anyway, it will only lead to me being further disabled?

Spencer.

Hi Spencer

I'm followed conversations on "Where in the world is all the work". Unfortunately "Where in the world is all the work" can be seen in a global or local way. The output of work in the engineering field and in construction has dropped globally. Myself as a Civil Engineer has experience this, however, I have adapted to changes and currently very busy. As a man with such experience as yourself could play a very positive role in an advisory capacity. Advertising could work? Politics is the biggest role player in our industry and if we can just get past all that, there will be more than enough work again. "My opinion only"

Of course we must think global. Because of the information age the world has become a small place; there are no economic boundaries, and there should not be. The world no longer revolves around the US economy. Businesses (corporations) no longer think local so they go where the cost of production is cheapest and where regulations are less onerous. And believe it or not, this is best for everyone. One should not fear world trade; it is an impetus for peace.

America is becoming a service economy and many cities have no manufacturing or mass employers nearby. I live in such a city; it has seven zip codes and it is a robust economy with less than 3% unemployment. There are technicians and professionals serving each other and thriving without major industries to employ the unskilled.

Of course, the building industry has come to a standstill after a huge run; it should have been expected. But it will come back like it always has.

Yeh:

We understand the Service Economy thing. But the jobs Here are farmed out to everyone.

There is just nothing left, for the natives here I mean. : -- )

One cannot farm out service jobs. That is the point.

And:

You seem to have mnissed it, R - U in management and not seeing the trenches???

Ain't no service jobs, they bring in guys from over seas to do them.

Take a deep breath and look around, will do you some good.

So when I get connected to India for Customer Service that is not farming our a service job.

Or the guy who gets my sons computer progams to work properly over the phone from India a Dell Repersenative.

You make a good point about teleservicing. And I would concede that this repulsive employment can technically be called a service job.

But what I talk about is personal services making contact with the occupant, the home, the business or the place of business. People that are trained, like physicians, plumbers, dentists, lawyers, masons, carpenters - real service jobs where the provider enters the customer's life, who in turn enters another citizens life. These are the service jobs I speak of, those that command a living wage.

The teleservice job you mention is the equivalent of an offshore McDonalds job - and that is an insult to McDonalds. Those jobs are of minimal loss value to Americans who avoid telemarket jobs like they avoid picking crops. When Americans want real service we take the PC to the Geek Squad.

Certainly there are plumbers who want to work with new materials, on new construction with open walls and without the nasty. And there are electricians and other tradesmen who want the same. But things have changed. We have been overbuilding and overdeveloping. And that made it hard to find a plumber to fix your pipes – until recently. Many of those guys will temporarily have to modify their skills so they can repair existing construction.

The secret to success is career training. There is no shortage of schools. But before you get the training, make sure the job you want is needed by the market for the foreseeable future. Find what you like to do and get training so that you can earn a living wage not minimum wage.

Where we live the new development has dried up as many hoped it would. Now we concentrate on serving one another. Without any major employer Bradenton enjoys a 3% unemployment rate, when 5% is considered full employment. One cannot get a seat in a restaurant on the weekend. No one I know knows an unemployed person. If you want to work, you can find a job. And if you are smart you will find a career.

Here is something to consider. They currently have webcast services for Surgeries, and medical diagnostics. Someone can login and obtain the services of a Doctor from a major medical institution. They even oversee surgeries, where it is too far to transport the patient and existing medical staff are not qualified. They basically watch the procedures being conducted by the less qualified surgeons and tell them what to do all remotely. Also many surgeries ae bing performed by robotics, since it is less invasive and can be more accurate. So it will not be much of a leap in the near future to link the webcaste and a remote web control of the robotics to conduct the entire surgery remotely. Major medical Facilities in the US are already looking at such processes, so they can reach more clients who can not directly attend their hospital. The dark little secret would be that eventually as more hospitals around the world obtain access to such technologies, medical adminstrators could start to farm out the medicine and start reducing the more expensive american professional medical staff. As administrators are more concerned with cost cutting in labor and equipment (this justifies their own pay), they would seek to outsource to medical staff marginally qualified (just acceptable to qualify for procedures) in areas where the pay scale is severel depressed.

As far as subprofessional labor goes, there are already a number of modular building processes that necessitate the need for only an assembler likely still a lesser qualified carpenter in title), not a well-qualified carpenter.

Lawyers on the other hand are not legally necessary, as anyone can practice law to provide service to themselves, it is really about researching previous legal decisions. We employ lawyers because most people are too lazy to spend the time to do the research and understand the law. (Even though the research is getting increasingly easy online.) I suspect that most people will continue to be just as lazy however in the future.

You'd be surprised how adaptable the general population is towards a reduction in the quality of service, if you can create the perception that they save a few pennies even on large purchases. There was a time when girls used to come out and take your order, and speaking into a box to order a meal was frowned upon, but we have all adapted to that lower level of service. Real Estate sales is the only career i can readily see that would continue to require a local presence at approximately the same kind of pay scale.

Importing people is not "exporting" jobs. Most people are employed with 5.5% (considered full employment) unemployment rate. You need to look around and stop whining pal. Get a job.

Actually with the technological advancement, you can farm out many service jobs. I worked at a international Engineering corporation where they could log on from Europe and address issues on our computer systems. Anything that is currntly addressed over the telephone is frequently farmed out of the country. As more systems get integrated with computing technologies and eventually linked through systems such as the internet, many basic service issues can be addressed non-locally, reducing the work dramatically for local service providers. Admittedly some services such as waitresses will not likely be able to be supported from distance. However, there are many that will be supported though remote locations in the future.

The Information Age is making deep and profound changes in employment. Consider this: The results of programmed or computer assisted learning is frightening teacher unions. It seems the programmed instruction has a much higher learning curve than does the regular classroon. This has implications for a revolution in the educational paradigm. When it is complete many teachers will need to learn another line of work.

The biggest challenge is making contact in the area of interest. For instance a local new york based construction firm needs a contact in the middle east in order to compete on that stage. The new york company will also need knowledge of arab customs and work ethics. The U.S. and U.K. are famous in the middle east for quality and professionalism, also they are famous for being expensive. However, those that want the best will most assuredly pay for it. If you would like more information on the middle east market place, give me shout.

Switch gears a bit. Maybe you are a GC in residential, institutional, or commercial projects, with which I would agree, there is a slump. But we (Americans) are building. Look for opportunities in Industrial Projects. In your neck of the woods every fossil fuel fired power plant is going through major retrofitting to meet new emissions protocols. Scrubbers, precipitators, boilers, etc. etc. are being built, modified, or retrofitted everywhere. Last year we were importing qualified welders from all over the world for lack of qualified labor. Talk to any ironworker, boilermaker, pipe-fitter, electrician, etc. etc. and he is working more hours than he can handle. Friends of mine are working seven twelves and taking time off when they want. Travelers are no longer traveling because there is work in their own back yard.

Look at opps in new fuel alternatives projects, in the heart land Cargil, ADM, and others are building grass roots ethanol plants as well as plants for other bio-diverse fuels.

In the south, chemical and refinery projects are maintaining a good pace as well. So are mining and other mineral processing.

And finally, position yourself through training, investment, hiring, or whatever may need be to put yourself in a position to be competitive in the near future when we begin to modernize our ailing infrastructure.

Working overseas: Let me tell you, I have owned an offshore construction company working in the industrial and process sectors for over fourteen years now. And it does not get any easier. As governments change, so does policy. Corruption is rampant. Labor laws, tax laws, commerce, language, customs, culture, etc. etc. are cumbersome and costly. And just when you have it all figured out, the rules change. This is not to discourage you but rather to encourage you to do all of your homework before venturing into such a quest. I have had many a pitfalls, but if I had to do it all over again, I would not change a thing. The experience has been profound, not just for me, but for my family as well. Seeing my children appreciate and RESPECT diverse cultures is reward in itself. My thirteen year old daughter is own her fourth language.

Traditionally, we could never compete in a local market with our high cost of labor, but as the world gets smaller, business owners start to realize the need for quality, product consistency, and a true return on investment. Business owners and governments are becoming more and more willing to pay a premium for imported construction services.

Do not let our (Americans) high cost discourage you. The trick is to have a core group of experts, in all trades, and complement them with local labor. I would never have a critical function left in the hands of an inexperienced craftsmen. Or for that fact a craftsmen who does not appreciate safety and quality. Yes my ex pats are costly, however their efficiency and dedication more than makes up for their cost. "HATS OFF TO EVERY SKILLED LABOR WHO HAS EVER PUT IN A HARD DAYS WORK FOR EIGHT HOURS PAY"

As a side note, I also, after earning an engineering degree, never seen the light of an office for over two years. It was my companies policy to put every engineer in the field for a min. two years before you ever seen an office. The idea was to learn an appreciation for what a craftsmen does day in and day out. You get a profound respect for their hard work..Se quote above.

So yes, I believe engineers out of school do not get their feet wet sufficiently...Yes I do believe there are some good construction projects out there...No, I do not believe we do enough to encourage our young guns to get into the trades they way we should.

Hey Bradenton...Did a job a Tropicana a few years back...enjoyed the experience.

Sorry about the rambling...

"...every fossil fuel fired power plant is going through major retrofitting to meet new emissions protocols..."

Amen, which is what I'm doing this very day! Our crews are guaranteed 50 hours/week up front, and most of them can put in 60 - 70 if they want to stick it. The pay is competitive, too.

RURU, I couldn't agree more. I'm currently working in Kuwait. Between the military and the local industry, it truly is a challenge trying to merge the two worlds to get projects done. The military fell into the low cost local labor trap as well trying to save money. Our cost for assorted jobs usually came in at more than 30% over the price of local firms. However, with poor craftsmanship and even poorer quality control standards, our boys that handle contracting for our military are realizing the value of American standards. On the other hand though, trying to find local craftsmen that can perform to our standards is an even bigger challenge. The curruption is something you learn to live with and at times being a strait shooter is an advantage. But overall, this is an incredible experience.

dbdwoods,

are you sure your dad is looking in the right places? I know a GC that is constantly getting jobs, large and small. His strategy is to 'sign up' with a (few) local architect(s), doing their work very well and just getting noticed by them. then he continously gets offers, he sometimes has to turn them down. But then this depends on what your field is.