Younger generation has ‘stigma’ against blue-collar jobs, hasn’t had to ‘work hard’ CEO says

[Kamaji]

Younger generation has ‘stigma’ against blue-collar jobs, hasn’t had to ‘work hard’ CEO says

By Kristen Altus, Fox Business
August 4, 2023

A cultural stigma around traditional “blue-collar” jobs runs alive and well – and could potentially hurt the next workforce generation and America’s infrastructure.

“You’re not just a widget manufacturer. You’re not just an excavation company. You are building America. You’re building a future for your family. You’re learning the work ethic that leads to good souls for your kids. There’s more to it than just work,” RedBalloon CEO Andrew Crapuchettes told Fox News Digital.

From electricians and plumbers to homebuilders and stonemasons, the U.S. labor market is seemingly desperate to fill skilled labor positions.

Since the start of this year, there have been more than 770,000 skilled job postings from nearly 95,000 different employers across the country, according to data from PeopleReady Skilled Trades.

Data points from that same study indicate that demand for carpenters has gone up 23% from March to May, while stonemasons are up 45% and construction laborers are experiencing an 18% demand surge in the same time period.

The sudden demand boom likely comes from efforts to vertically integrate America’s supply chains after pandemic and geopolitical disruptions, Crapuchettes argued, but a crucial part of the puzzle is currently missing.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/04/younger-generation-has-stigma-against-blue-collar-jobs-hasnt-had-to-work-hard-ceo-says/

[Kamaji]

Then they're idiots.

[Smokin Joe]

The jobs I worked at 14 would now be considered a violation of Child Labor laws passed since.

Coming from a farming family, even though my dad was not a farmer, I worked in tobacco fields as soon as I could do something useful, picked bushels of tomatoes, baled and hauled hay, stacked bales in the barns, moved cattle and even helped shear sheep. Yep, I remember stomping the wool down in the wool bag and coming out oily with lanolin, as much as being covered with 'barn trash' after stripping tobacco or seeds and dirt from baling hay.

While the heavy construction work, building seawalls and piers was darn sure work, dirty, and as a side effect got me in the best shape of my life, it would not be allowed today.
 
There's the rub. A work ethic, the willingness to sweat and get dirty for a paycheck, just isn't being instilled at an early age, or even by the mid teens in most, especially in urban and suburban settings. Wait too long, and it isn't likely to happen at all.
Look instead to the guy who is mowing your lawn, roofing, doing drywall, and keep in mind his English will improve.

Notably, most of the oilfield hands I have known either grew up on a farm or ranch, in an oilfield family, or were veterans, all folks who have dealt with having to sweat and more than a bit of hardship in their day.

[jmyrlefuller]

This guy is a tech company CEO. I'd be willing to bet he's never put an honest day's hard work in in his life. For people like him, physical labor is for the little people—"the world needs ditch diggers, too."

Let me tell you all a story. I was slow to appreciate physical labor. I did well in school, well enough to get into college and eventually earn a degree in four years. But school was exhausting. The idea of physical labor on top of that, I just wasn't ready for it. Eventually in adulthood I was ready to do it... but it's not like it's steady work. A lot of the manual labor this article talks about involves unpredictable locations, odd hours, all the stuff that makes settling down nearly impossible. They may get married and have kids, simply because their income makes them look like good providers, but they're never home. Not to mention that it's skilled labor, meaning you can't just pull someone off the street who needs a job. There's training, apprenticeship, prerequisites like a driver's license (often a CDL), and preparation that has to be done before they're ready for the work.

[Smokin Joe]

This guy is a tech company CEO. I'd be willing to bet he's never put an honest day's hard work in in his life. For people like him, physical labor is for the little people—"the world needs ditch diggers, too."

Let me tell you all a story. I was slow to appreciate physical labor. I did well in school, well enough to get into college and eventually earn a degree in four years. But school was exhausting. The idea of physical labor on top of that, I just wasn't ready for it. Eventually in adulthood I was ready to do it... but it's not like it's steady work. A lot of the manual labor this article talks about involves unpredictable locations, odd hours, all the stuff that makes settling down nearly impossible. They may get married and have kids, simply because their income makes them look like good providers, but they're never home. Not to mention that it's skilled labor, meaning you can't just pull someone off the street who needs a job. There's training, apprenticeship, prerequisites like a driver's license (often a CDL), and preparation that has to be done before they're ready for the work.

Yep. But there are trade schools, and that used to be an option (studying a trade as opposed to college bound) in High School.

[Bigun]

I can tell you without reservation that anyone willing to do the work necessary to get themselves qualified as any kind of skilled craftsman will do very well for themselves financially.

[Smokin Joe]

I can tell you without reservation that anyone willing to do the work necessary to get themselves qualified as any kind of skilled craftsman will do very well for themselves financially.

It's best if they like what they are doing, take pride in their work, and pay meticulous attention to detail.  Do that, and success will follow.

[cato potatoe]

Is the whole generation worthless?  Maybe some of them are skeptical about physical labor because immigrants are doing the work at a discount, many if not most employers prefer to hire immigrants, and both parties are flooding the country with a never ending supply of immigrants.  The government is somewhat less successful at undercutting white collar salaries, though it is not for lack of trying. 

[Free Vulcan]

Is the whole generation worthless?  Maybe some of them are skeptical about physical labor because immigrants are doing the work at a discount, many if not most employers prefer to hire immigrants, and both parties are flooding the country with a never ending supply of immigrants.  The government is somewhat less successful at undercutting white collar salaries, though it is not for lack of trying.

No, I think it's regional. Here in the Midwest you got plenty of young folks working blue collar jobs, and in many cases making great money at it while getting all the benefits of small town and rural life. This seems to be a more East/West coast Ivy League snowflake thing.

That said, it doesn't take away from the fact that the failure of the education system applies to managers as well as workers. The idiocy of management is beyond measurement right now, especially with the younger generation. It's hard to do physical labor in a place that's disorganized and mismanaged. No one wants to just be a butt boy putting out fires that should have never happened.

[Kamaji]

No, I think it's regional. Here in the Midwest you got plenty of young folks working blue collar jobs, and in many cases making great money at it while getting all the benefits of small town and rural life. This seems to be a more East/West coast Ivy League snowflake thing.

That said, it doesn't take away from the fact that the failure of the education system applies to managers as well as workers. The idiocy of management is beyond measurement right now, especially with the younger generation. It's hard to do physical labor in a place that's disorganized and mismanaged. No one wants to just be a butt boy putting out fires that should have never happened.

[sneakypete]

Then they're idiots.

@Kamaji

No,they  are just spoiled children,passing themselves off as adults.

They probably  grew up being told they were "special in this world" every day  of their lives,just  for being born.

[Smokin Joe]

@Kamaji

No,they  are just spoiled children,passing themselves off as adults.

They probably  grew up being told they were "special in this world" every day  of their lives,just  for being born.

Well, @sneakypete , there is a 'trick' (or two) to doing every 'dirty job'.

You don't learn that trick from some professor, you learn it from doing it with folks who will show you how to get the job done well with less effort (if you are humble enough to learn from someone who might not have the formal education you do, and just knows how to get things done).
You might pick up some of those from You Tube, but not everything.

I have known a lot of youngsters who rejected the obvious bullsh*t they were being told about the world in High School, and opted instead of going to college to get more, to work at something where they could see tangible results, maybe come home dirty and tired, but with a sense of satisfaction they'd done something real.  They don't want to 'change the world', they just want to earn a decent living for their wife and kids (existing or to be), maybe buy a few toys (boat/gun/fishing tackle, etc).

I haven't given up on all of them, by a longshot.

[sneakypete]

Well, @sneakypete , there is a 'trick' (or two) to doing every 'dirty job'.

You don't learn that trick from some professor, you learn it from doing it with folks who will show you how to get the job done well with less effort (if you are humble enough to learn from someone who might not have the formal education you do, and just knows how to get things done).
You might pick up some of those from You Tube, but not everything.

I have known a lot of youngsters who rejected the obvious bullsh*t they were being told about the world in High School, and opted instead of going to college to get more, to work at something where they could see tangible results, maybe come home dirty and tires, but with a sense of satisfaction they'd done something real.

I haven't given up on all of them, by a longshot.

@Smokin Joe

And let's face it,we are all individuals,with  individual needs and desires.

I was offered a full ride for free to a state college if I would agree to not quit HS before getting my degree. I refused because I wanted to join the army and become a paratrooper. It was clearly NOT the most clever thing I have ever done,but that IS what I wanted to do. I liked it so well I ended up donning a Green Beret and becoming a career soldier. Even while I was  in the army they kept trying to get me to go to OCS,and even made offers of a slot at West Point if I wanted it,but by then I had been in the army  long enough to know that NCO's has ALL the fun,and while officers took all the glory,they also took all the blame if something went wrong,so I opted to remain a NCO and have fun.

Besides,if I got  a commission,there was  no guarantee that I wouldn't get transferred to  a conventional unit,and I wanted to stay in SF. I just couldn't imagine  a better  life than being a SF NCO.

Still can't. Miss it all to this very day.

[Cyber Liberty]

Words I have never heard in my life:

"Kids These Days!"

[Smokin Joe]

@Smokin Joe

And let's face it,we are all individuals,with  individual needs and desires.

I was offered a full ride for free to a state college if I would agree to not quit HS before getting my degree. I refused because I wanted to join the army and become a paratrooper. It was clearly NOT the most clever thing I have ever done,but that IS what I wanted to do. I liked it so well I ended up donning a Green Beret and becoming a career soldier. Even while I was  in the army they kept trying to get me to go to OCS,and even made offers of a slot at West Point if I wanted it,but by then I had been in the army  long enough to know that NCO's has ALL the fun,and while officers took all the glory,they also took all the blame if something went wrong,so I opted to remain a NCO and have fun.

Besides,if I got  a commission,there was  no guarantee that I wouldn't get transferred to  a conventional unit,and I wanted to stay in SF. I just couldn't imagine  a better  life than being a SF NCO.

Still can't. Miss it all to this very day.

My Brother had the option of going to college. Nope. He'd had enough of school. Me, I jumped at the chance, and did ok as a result, studying something I loved, and making a good living at it for most of the 45 years since. In between that, though, I never lost the ability or love for doing a good hard day's work, and the satisfaction I got from doing something more tangible while not having to deal with more theoretical problems. Some people run or work out, me, I have a chore here and there that will make me sweat, and is plenty of exercise, too. Every now and Then I'll get through the slumps in the oil patch by taking a job that means 'real' work, and I always learn something, if only another point of view. I don't hire much work out, because I have acquired the skills to do my own, and thankfully, still can, for the most part, if not as quickly as I used to.

Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life. While not on the 'neat' scale of most military hardware, I have had the opportunity to work with things I never would have been able to afford, and have been the first human being to ever see rock samples from thousands of feet down in eight different states.  Works for me!

[sneakypete]

My Brother had the option of going to college. Nope. He'd had enough of school. Me, I jumped at the chance, and did ok as a result, studying something I loved, and making a good living at it for most of the 45 years since. In between that, though, I never lost the ability or love for doing a good hard day's work, and the satisfaction I got from doing something more tangible while not having to deal with more theoretical problems. Some people run or work out, me, I have a chore here and there that will make me sweat, and is plenty of exercise, too. Every now and Then I'll get through the slumps in the oil patch by taking a job that means 'real' work, and I always learn something, if only another point of view. I don't hire much work out, because I have acquired the skills to do my own, and thankfully, still can, for the most part, if not as quickly as I used to.

Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life. While not on the 'neat' scale of most military hardware, I have had the opportunity to work with things I never would have been able to afford, and have been the first human being to ever see rock samples from thousands of feet down in eight different states.  Works for me!

@Smokin Joe

EXACTLY!

Life ain't about money,and I honestly feel sorry for the people who think it is. Life is about getting personal satisfaction out of doing  something you love doing,while providing yourself with the funds to live a normal life. That combination is a win/win in MY  "book".

BTW,there is absolutely  nothing wrong with  working at a  job like being a Wall Street Broker if that is what "pulls your trigger"

Or any other job  that makes  you  happy while providing you  with  a living that is satisfactory  for you.

I honestly feel sorry for the people who are obsessed with making money because beyond a certain point,"more money" is useless when it comes to happiness. All it does is buy  you more "stuff" that you really  don't want  or need,but  buy just because you  can afford to buy it. There HAS to be more to life than just earning money,and if there isn't,there just ain't much in life worth living for.

[DB]

I graduated high school a year and a half early by passing the GED test. Never went back to school. I was fixing TVs, VCRs, stereos and other electronics at a repair shop job from about 15 to 19 years of age. Then I moved to Sunnyvale trying to get a job as an engineering technician.

Over a few years I was promoted to a senior design engineer at a fairly large well known communications OEM company in Sunnyvale in the mid 80's. I was in my early 20's. Started my own satellite communications equipment company and have been doing that for the last 28 years or so. You don't have to go to college to do high tech jobs. You just have to be willing to learn, apply yourself and doggedly pursue your goals.

[sneakypete]

I graduated high school a year and a half early by passing the GED test. Never went back to school. I was fixing TVs, VCRs, stereos and other electronics at a repair shop job from about 15 to 19 years of age. Then I moved to Sunnyvale trying to get a job as an engineering technician.

Over a few years I was promoted to a senior design engineer at a fairly large well known communications OEM company in Sunnyvale in the mid 80's. I was in my early 20's. Started my own satellite communications equipment company and have been doing that for the last 28 years or so. You don't have to go to college to do high tech jobs. You just have to be willing to learn, apply yourself and doggedly pursue your goals.

I graduated high school a year and a half early by passing the GED test. Never went back to school. I was fixing TVs, VCRs, stereos and other electronics at a repair shop job from about 15 to 19 years of age. Then I moved to Sunnyvale trying to get a job as an engineering technician.

Over a few years I was promoted to a senior design engineer at a fairly large well known communications OEM company in Sunnyvale in the mid 80's. I was in my early 20's. Started my own satellite communications equipment company and have been doing that for the last 28 years or so. You don't have to go to college to do high tech jobs. You just have to be willing to learn, apply yourself and doggedly pursue your goals.

@DB

No,but you DO need to be "gifted with the ability to do things like that at  birth". If you're not,you will never be anything more than just another drone in a high-tech company.

The real secret to happiness is to find something you are REALLY  good at that allows you to earn a comfortable income that you enjoy  doing,and then do that for a living. You won't suffer from the stress that others suffer from after trying to do something they aren't really capable of doing

[Gefn]

bookmark thank you

[Timber Rattler]

Younger generation has ‘stigma’ against blue-collar jobs, hasn’t had to ‘work hard’ CEO says

By Kristen Altus, Fox Business
August 4, 2023

A cultural stigma around traditional “blue-collar” jobs runs alive and well – and could potentially hurt the next workforce generation and America’s infrastructure.

“You’re not just a widget manufacturer. You’re not just an excavation company. You are building America. You’re building a future for your family. You’re learning the work ethic that leads to good souls for your kids. There’s more to it than just work,” RedBalloon CEO Andrew Crapuchettes told Fox News Digital.

From electricians and plumbers to homebuilders and stonemasons, the U.S. labor market is seemingly desperate to fill skilled labor positions.

Since the start of this year, there have been more than 770,000 skilled job postings from nearly 95,000 different employers across the country, according to data from PeopleReady Skilled Trades.

Data points from that same study indicate that demand for carpenters has gone up 23% from March to May, while stonemasons are up 45% and construction laborers are experiencing an 18% demand surge in the same time period.

The sudden demand boom likely comes from efforts to vertically integrate America’s supply chains after pandemic and geopolitical disruptions, Crapuchettes argued, but a crucial part of the puzzle is currently missing.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/04/younger-generation-has-stigma-against-blue-collar-jobs-hasnt-had-to-work-hard-ceo-says/

I'm going to be honest, and with apologies to Mike Rowe, kids have been taught for years that those were dead-end jobs, and that if they wanted to succeed in life, then they had to go to college and enter the white-collar professional world.  I got bombarded with that in the 1980s myself, and to be fair, a lot of blue-collar people tend to be jaded and disgruntled with their lives.  Ever talk to your plumber or electrician when he's on a call at your house...usually you get a rant about how he hates his job, hates his boss, hates his company, and just wants to retire so he can go fishing every day.

The COVID shutdowns have now turned the working world on its head, and the skilled trades, once so derided, are now necessarily back in vogue.

[Bigun]

I graduated high school a year and a half early by passing the GED test. Never went back to school. I was fixing TVs, VCRs, stereos and other electronics at a repair shop job from about 15 to 19 years of age. Then I moved to Sunnyvale trying to get a job as an engineering technician.

Over a few years I was promoted to a senior design engineer at a fairly large well known communications OEM company in Sunnyvale in the mid 80's. I was in my early 20's. Started my own satellite communications equipment company and have been doing that for the last 28 years or so. You don't have to go to college to do high tech jobs. You just have to be willing to learn, apply yourself and doggedly pursue your goals.

I was very lucky.  My dad was a South Pacific Marine during WWII and my family was very blue-collar. My last two years of HS I went to regular classes for half a day and spent the rest of the day in Mr. Hill's vocational electronics class where we were taught from a book not on the materials list for that course. The book was Dale Carnagie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People". That was the best thing to ever happen to me education-wise. Went to Vietnam right after HS, got married shortly after i got back, and eventually went to work for a company (ARAMCO) that did not care that you had a piece of paper with letters on it, they were more interested in what you could DO and that worked out very well for me.

[DB]

I was very lucky.  My dad was a South Pacific Marine during WWII and my family was very blue-collar. My last two years of HS I went to regular classes for half a day and spent the rest of the day in Mr. Hill's vocational electronics class where we were taught from a book not on the materials list for that course. The book was Dale Carnagie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People". That was the best thing to ever happen to me education-wise. Went to Vietnam right after HS, got married shortly after i got back, and eventually went to work for a company (ARAMCO) that did not care that you had a piece of paper with letters on it, they were more interested in what you could DO and that worked out very well for me.

Excellent. Most larger companies have HR departments that are the gatekeepers knowing jack about actual ability. It took me a year to finally get past the gatekeepers and into an engineering tech position. Once through I learned quickly and did well.

[Bigun]

Excellent. Most larger companies have HR departments that are the gatekeepers knowing jack about actual ability. It took me a year to finally get past the gatekeepers and into an engineering tech position. Once through I learned quickly and did well.

I was in Saudi Arabia. Fortunately for me, the gatekeepers were all in Houston and NYC.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Work is no longer valued in this country.  Yankee thrift and industry is no longer in vogue.

The elite braniacs' view is that we are living in a post-industrial information age.  Information is the value-added product we produce and consume.

[Kamaji]

Work is no longer valued in this country.  Yankee thrift and industry is no longer in vogue.

The elite braniacs' view is that we are living in a post-industrial information age.  Information is the value-added product we produce and consume.

It hasn't been valued for decades.  Which is a shame.