Economy/Unemployment in your area

[scrublink 0]

Without getting into a political discussion. (This isn't SC) What is the economy like in your neck of the woods. I live in the Northeast (Western Ma.) and I keep reading and hearing news stories about how strong the economy is but I know a bunch of people (over 50) that haven't worked in 4-5 months and some that haven't worked in a longer time. Myself included. We are all tradesmen if that makes a difference.
Like I said I don't want political discussion I just want to get an idea about where in this country I should plan on moving if I want to work for a living.

Ed

[kiittycatt 0]

Here in France things are (as publicized) not so hot. I know plenty of people who are out of work and/or have lost their jobs. I'm glad I don't have to look for work here. But I know in my field at least, back home in Chicago, if not just in the states in general, things are looking a lot better then they were a few years back. People are actually hiring now whereas they weren't when I was in my second year. Which is good news for me, since I'll be looking for a job soon enough.

'Celebrate we will, cause life is short but sweet for certain'

[skymama 35]

I see that you are an electrician. The building business is still hot in Central FL. The predictions are that we are not going to see the real estate bubble burst like in other parts of the country.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[yamtx73 0]

Quote

I see that you are an electrician. The building business is still hot in Central FL. The predictions are that we are not going to see the real estate bubble burst like in other parts of the country.

Construction is going strong pretty much anywhere in Florida... seems like we can't put the houses up fast enough..

The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers...

[Snowwhite 0]

And they are still putting them back together again from the hurricanes. Can't believe how many blue tarp roofs we saw when we were down there in Feb.

Our area of the country was built on the farming/ag industry, and manufacturing. Dave lost his job in 92, and he was one of the last in our area of his age to go that route. The decline started here really big in 82 with the closure of International Harvester, The Rock Island Railroad, Case and Deere downsized.
So we were lucky he held on as long as he did.
When Montgomery Elevator downsized, Dave's job was gone, and there really haven't been any jobs in manufacturing for guys his age since then.
For 12 years he has lived/worked somewhere else, and I have been here.
My business is strong, but not strong enough to pay for his wages, insurance and the pension contributions that we need to be making. Our plan is for me to continue here, him there, and in 5.5 years he takes an early retirment and comes home to help me in my business.
Oct 1,2011 can't come soon enough!

skydiveTaylorville.org
[email protected]

[Andrewwhyte 1]

I live in Alberta; we sell oil.
The labour shortage here is so bad Burger King is paying 100% bonus in scholarship money to all employees. With a $7.00/hr min wage that means $14.00/hr efective wage for flippin' burgers.
If you want to come and work an electrician can get a work visa in about 30 days. In the tar-sands projects up north tradesmen are earning $60.00/hr with all the OT you can handle. We are desparate for all skilled workers and hurting for unskilled labour as well.

[yamtx73 0]

Yes, they're still doing repairs from hurricane damage too. I don't see it slowing down any time in the near future... between new construction and hurricane repair it's going to be going on for many many years...

The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers...

[apollard24 0]

It's so strange that there are so many blue tarps and yet they have enough roofing materials for the new construction..

Anyway, I think the job market here in South Florida is pretty decent.

Breathe out so I can breathe you in...

[yamtx73 0]

Quote

It's so strange that there are so many blue tarps and yet they have enough roofing materials for the new construction..

Anyway, I think the job market here in South Florida is pretty decent.

It's not always a matter of having the roofing materials... sometimes the home owner doesn't have enough money to pay it... sometimes they're just waiting to do it themselves but never seem to 'find the time'...

The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers...

[Hawkins121 0]

If you are able bodied and are a US citizen you can find work.... I dont care who you are. If you havent worked in 5 months ITS YOUR FAULT.. Sorry.

[lawrocket 3]

It's tough to say. My area is not exactly an economic powerhouse. We're generally a blue collar place.

Unemployment here is usually higher than in the rest of California. But, every year in March and April we add 10k-15k farm jobs. We also have a big IRS Tax center here, and they hire plenty of seasonal.

But we also seem to be doign better than the rest f the state. Fresno County added 3,100 of the 20,400 non-farmork jobs this year. Our economy grew 3.3 percent - the highest in the state - since the beginnign of the year. It's also easier to grow a high percentage if you start from a gutter.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[scrublink 0]

Let me rephrase by what I mean when I say "no work". There are no jobs in my area that are paying a living wage with benefits for skilled tradesmen at this time. Health care is big and lawyers are doing ok. If I wanted to work for crap wages and no benefits then I could do that in a minute. I however do not need to work for poverty wages to be broke. My choice. I am just looking for an area of the country where I can go and work in my field for fair wages and benefits so that my future will be secure. Working for anything less is pointless to me. I realize that I am in a unique situation, being able to be choosy and all.
I could find work today if I was willing to flip burgers, or wait tables but I am not. If this drags on for two or three years then I might be forced to take that route, but I think that I will be able to relocate well before I reach that point.

Thanks for your input though.

[soberamprat 0]

I live near Detroit, need i say more?

http://www.swoopstudios.com/videos/videos-rex.php

[skymama 35]

Quote

It's so strange that there are so many blue tarps and yet they have enough roofing materials for the new construction..

Actually, there is still a problem with being able to get tile roofing. We build large, custom homes and if we want a certain brand of tile, the wait is 7-9 months. There are some styles and colors that they have stopped producing in order to produce more of the style that is prevalent down south. This is a problem for our customers who are doing remodels because they can't match their existing tile. There is also a few types that we're not even allowed to order if our customers like them, they are for hurricane families only. Here we are almost at hurricane season again, I hope we have a quiet summer!

Sorry to hijack the thread!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Slappie 9]

I'm in Houston and pretty much insulated from other economies. I'm a "gray collar" worker. Basically I push a pencil most of the time with field work. Pretty 50-50. I'm also in the oil field service industry. My company has a 6 year backlog of over 6 billion in orders. I'm in the International Traffic Dept. so I work with our letters of credit and schedule/manage all the international projects.

So when I say we're doing ok, you have to know where I'm coming from. I'm familiar with the trades sector. I set ceramic tile for about 3 years in the early 90s when I was out of work. I've some friends in the construction biz. They've got enough work to keep their heads above water. They could probably make more if they applied themselves. Ceramic tile & marble is a tough business to compete in unless you've got 3 crews of undocumented workers. All the trades in the south are working hard, wages are so-so.

I better quit before I get your thread moved..


Houston is pretty much holding it's own. Couple friends moving east though to help rebuild NO & Miss. So if they're any indicators, looks like SE Louisiana through Florida would be the hot states for trades at the moment.

"Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them."