US unemployed have quit looking for jobs at a 'frightening' level: Survey

a reply to: onequestion

This is the side of the Obama Economy which should garner more media attention. He hasn't lead the country to 5% unemployment via creation of new, full time jobs... it's happened because the number of disgruntled unemployed have dropped off the official list of unemployed.

We need to add every incentive to work by eliminating welfare to those who don't work and by removing the artificial barriers to domestic growth such as global free trade agreements, federal regulations run roughshod, and by making the ENTIRE USA a right to work nation... including government laborer positions.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

How do you do that without marketable skills though?

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Making welfare pay less than entry level jobs is a good place to start as well.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: wdkirk

I'm taking a paycut myself.

It's not all glamour here. All of our markets are currently down. We are not hiring.
We are basically a big "job shop" we make custom parts for customers like Allison, GE, Cummins, Euclid Hitachi, US army tank automotive command, CAT....and so on. We've see a ramp up in military parts however that is not enough to make up for the down oil, OHV and ag markets.

a reply to: AVtech34

Nice. Always nice to find other military aviation techs around here.

US Army, UH60A/L/M, OH58D, AH64D.

Though I only went to AIT for UH60s there were many times I found myself in other hangars helping out when I didn't have anything going on.

a reply to: wdkirk

I think it's very location specific.

At least from what I've read. In California I would be looking at a totally different market.

a reply to: onequestion



Ummm...that's 664,000...in MAY...not total...

Freaking frightening statistics...makes me appreciate my 52 hours a week with 12...at time and a half...much better than when I got home from my thankless job...And cracked open that bottle of wine with a Honey Brown chaser...Not to mention the 3 plus hours after work...wrenching in the marina...Or the $60.00 I charge per hour to rebuild a carburetor or tune your boat for my clients...

Basically what it tells me is that people have let loose the entrepreneurial spirit...rather than loosed it and utilized it to grow their future...

I guess I'll work extra hard to actually attempt to...like...my boss...or my job for that matter...

If not I'll have to get off my fat lazy ass and go full entrepreneur......................I hear it calling...



YouSir

a reply to: burdman30ott6


Ummm...actually what we lead them in is...raising the minimum wage...so that employers join the push to irrelevancy through automation...when the robotic force surpasses and then replaces the work force by...say 2050...then maybe we'll finally realize how very much we've been............................played...




YouSir

a reply to: onequestion

I dunno....pay attention during Free Public Education and make use of Public Libraries? Street smarts are one thing, but Life Smarts are more valuable.

If one is dedicated towards self-improvement, the means are certainly available.

There are a number of advocacy programs helping folks in all walks.

From learning to read, to apprenticeships in a trade.

Excuses are simply not an excuse.

Just 3 years ago, my skill set would have demanded $22-25 an hour.

Today, they won't pay more than $16-18.

Go figure.

a reply to: paradoxious

What do you do

I am thankful for my gravy train I'm at now. 4, 10hr days 3 day weekends and I'm 5 miles from home. As a machine operator. Lots of places in my area are hiring, carpet mills, Chen. Plants and more. Pay may not be the best but it's still more than unemployed.

a reply to: projectvxn

There are TONS of jobs out there.

I thought the same thing until my friend decided to do an intervention with her son.

He graduated college but was just hanging around the house, complaining that he couldn't find a job.

She got tired of it, took off three days from work, got a list of job fairs, and other places that were advertising they had work. She decided she was going to be proactive and drive him to all these places and submit his application.

By the end of the third day she had given up. She said every place she went that claimed they had work, also had applicants winding around the block. An average of 10 jobs for 2000 applicants.

She is trying to get him to chose a skill. Her husband is a home builder contractor, she is a medical social worker. He knows the kind of hours and hard work their careers require, so he is not very enthusiastic about learning a skill or becoming an apprentice.

It is very hard for young folk today. There may be a lot of jobs, but there seems to be even more people looking for jobs than there are jobs available. Most of those jobs don't pay enough for children to be able to live independently, so they are still at home with their parents.

My elderly mother has three friends that just had to take in their grown children, along with the grand and great-grandchildren, because of illness, and or lost of jobs.

My baby sister just got laid off from her job, after 25 years working for the company, because of down-sizing. She was smart enough to put something away for a rainy day, so she is sitting pretty, and going for an early retirement. Few people are as lucky.

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

I think it's very location specific as well.

However in the areas where there are good jobs the cost of living is insane. California really didnt have much going on and the cost of living was 3x as high as where im at now.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: onequestion
There's a lot of jobs out there if your in CNC that's for sure, come to find out.

You and I have discussed this over the past year or so many times and this is what I have been telling people. There are well paying jobs out there if you are willing to retrain yourself.

For younger people I would agree with you. But for someone who was close to retiring and got "downsized" or "forced retirement", I would not expect them to try to retrain into a job with tough physical requirements. Many trade jobs are union and the new guy is the grunt for the first year or two and does all the heavy lifting. For a young guy that is no problem, but a great portion of the unemployed were somewhat older and looking forward to retiring in the next few years. I know I was. I know now that I will work until the day I die...and it sucks. Unless our wonderful president decides to put some money back into social security so it lasts a few more years anyway...

originally posted by: paradoxious
Just 3 years ago, my skill set would have demanded $22-25 an hour.

Today, they won't pay more than $16-18.

Go figure.

That is something else no one is talking about.

When an employer has 10 times the number of applicants than jobs, guess what happens?

He can pay a hell of a lot less, and someone will always feel desperate enough to be willing to take the job, even if the pay is ridiculously low. I have watched the same thing happen in my career field.

I agree with YouSir. One day we are going to wake up and finally realize that we were played. We won't be able to blame a darn soul, except ourselves. We bought it all, hook line and sinker.

a reply to: Vroomfondel

I was more referring to people coming out of college with useless degrees.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I know a few software engineer who are thinking about taking welding classes.

One has two masters degrees and ten years experience

a reply to: onequestion

Not what I would exactly classify as a useless degree but the way that the sector has been performing lately welding may be end up paying much better.

It always surprises me when I see people saying "I can't find a job" when I can roll down the street and find at least 4 people hiring.