News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on America needs carpenters and plumbers. Try telling that to Gen Z. Parent comment

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.

[ Parent | on HN ]
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.)

[ Parent | on HN ]
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...

[ Parent | on HN ]
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.
[ Parent | on HN ]
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...
[ Parent | on HN ]
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
[ Parent | on HN ]
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.
[ Parent | on HN ]
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
[ Parent | on HN ]