The gist of it: with each passing decade there’s a growing shortage of construction laborers, resulting in large wait times for housing to be built. Some analysts wonder why the key demographic isn’t showing up.
I’ve seen a few articles in the past few years about young men supposedly checking out of society and work, I wonder if there is a connection between that and this article here because young men tend to be the prime demographic for working this job.
Companies need to pay their workers better.
It is exactly this. We’re trying to recruit hard too, which is working. My local can take about 50 apprentices a year. Between job fairs and school presentations we had 700 apply this year, which is awesome, but way more than we can handle at once.
There is great money to be made in the trades, and joining a union is the absolute best way to do it.
This is why I never really went for the trades. It always seemed like winning the lottery to get an apprenticeship, at least in a large city.
It’s really not. If there’s a long wait then you apply for the apprenticeship and while you wait ask if they have any other training programs, most of them do, or go work non union while you wait to get in. Gaining experience will help you move up the list and you’ll be starting in no time. I had absolutely 0 construction experience and waited less than a year to start in the 3rd largest city in our state.
Depends on the trade. I’ve worked with a bunch in my area.
Elevators, building engineers? You gotta know somebody. Laborers union? You ain’t Latino, you ain’t getting in. Electricians, welders? You don’t have to know someone, but it sure helps if you do. Also if you’re white.
Oh, and No Girls Allowed, so there goes 50% of your potential recruits.
Running a union is the most lucrative way though.
If a union boss gets a shitload of money to make sure their workers get fair wages, fine by me.
You do realize you have to be a member and respected by the local in order to become the leader, right? You say it like the president of a union wasn’t a jw before he got elected. Our current local executive team were all working in the field less than a year ago.