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

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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:

--- Quote from: jmyrlefuller on August 05, 2023, 01:48:50 am ---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.

--- End quote ---

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

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