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Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by ogre_battle on Thursday January 05, 2023 @01:22PM (#34264123)
> it might be a bad area or a bad employer.

Outside of big cities, there may not be enough demand, esp. consistent demand, to justify good pay and bennies.

My uncle is a welder, has a lot of specializations including some underwater stuff. No shortage of offers... for 6 weeks of work in nowhere-ville, often requiring you to supply your own transport and housing. 3 months in FL, 6 months in NC, 8 weeks in GA. And they all pay crap.

Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by mfer on Thursday January 05, 2023 @01:30PM (#34264256)
> Outside of big cities, there may not be enough demand, esp. consistent demand, to justify good pay and bennies.

I guess that depends how far outside cities. In the suburbs there is demand.

There is a shortage of trades and many trades folks are older in age. When they retire there isn't the back fill behind them. And all of this is happening as the population is growing.

Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by eropple on Thursday January 05, 2023 @06:04PM (#34268251)
> In the suburbs there is demand.

Largely for residential, which is relatively cheap and lower-skilled. (Not low-skilled, but the barrier to entry is lower.)

Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by Brybry on Thursday January 05, 2023 @06:25PM (#34268475)
US population growth is mostly flat, all the growth is from immigration.[1][2]

And those people are filling trade skill jobs. [3]

> More than one-third of construction laborers (686,000 workers), at least 30 percent of carpenters (382,000 workers), and 45 percent of painters and paperhangers (264,000 workers) are immigrants.

And without them the population long term would decrease (which is obvious from the low fertility rate). [4]

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/05/us/immigration-census-pop...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_Sta...

[3] https://research.newamericaneconomy.org/report/covid19-immig...

[4] https://www.cato.org/blog/census-finds-us-population-will-de...

Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by chrisdhoover on Thursday January 05, 2023 @08:56PM (#34269959)
True that. Every job site I go to is filled with hardworking Mexicans and Central Americans.
Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by midoridensha on Friday January 06, 2023 @03:35AM (#34272400)
Yet everyone complains how poorly houses are built these days...
Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by dbfx on Friday January 06, 2023 @05:32AM (#34273132)
More of a material fault than anything else, hiuses in the us are disposeable
Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by Tangurena2 on Friday January 06, 2023 @11:05AM (#34276289)
Because the states where most of the construction workers are immigrants don't have licensing for tradespeople. They also have laws protecting the builders from "defective house" litigation.
Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by chrisdhoover on Thursday January 05, 2023 @08:53PM (#34269937)
I’m reading the population is shrinking. Isn’t the US below replacement rate? Certainly Europe is. I think immigration is masking that kids these days are not have kids these days
Re:America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that t... by factsarelolz on Thursday January 05, 2023 @06:40PM (#34268628)
Weird I've heard exactly the opposite.

The person that does travel welding usually has a setup like a big truck and a pull behind RV. They jump from job site to job site staying campgrounds, county / public property where overnight parking was allowed (previously Walmart parking lots).

As long as the job site is further than 50-100 miles from home you get paid a per diem which granted won't pay for a 4 star hotel, but at 65$ a day (rate depending on location) x 30 (6 5 day work weeks) $1950 then another $25 a day for food $750. This is untaxed and on top of your normal hourly rate. These jobs tend to need to be done on a quick time frame so most do not only work 40 hour work weeks but most are working 60-80 hours. So there is also an insane potential for overtime.