Posts Tagged ‘Wages’

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Go north, young welder?

December 13th, 2012
By: Vicki Bell

Recently, my fellow blogger Tim Heston published a post that cited a New York Times article from November about how entry level pay in manufacturing is waning. The article quoted a Boston Consulting Group report that actually questioned the skilled labor crisis: "Trying to hire high-skilled workers at rock-bottom rates is not a skills gap."

Past posts on The Fabricator blog have addressed wages, which appear to vary from region to region and company to company. And, just as Heston noted, welders and fabricators at both ends of the pay scale let us know what they are seeing regarding wages. Such was the case when I posted a link to Heston's blog on The FABRICATOR's Facebook page. (more...)

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Posted in Shop Soapbox | No Comments »

Whinges across the globe

May 17th, 2012
By: Vicki Bell

A recent blog post by Editor-in-Chief Dan Davis was the subject of last week's "Fabricating Update" e-newsletter. This post—Manufacturing on the rise; pay not so much—dealt with an issue (starting wages) that might be hampering hiring efforts and stressed the need for employers to do a better job of positioning their employment opportunities as the first steps in a fulfilling career.

We asked newsletter subscribers to share their thoughts about this topic and received responses from readers both in the U.S. and other parts of the world that indicate this is a global issue. Respondents from all over the world share the same whinges. (more...)

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Posted in Global Marketplace, Shop Soapbox, Training and Retention | 1 Comment »

It's about getting paid

February 10th, 2012
By: Dan Davis

If you haven't checked the recent blog post by Vicki Bell, thefabricator.com's Web content manager, you are missing some good conversation.

She referenced an e-mail from a fabricator who was responding to an article in the January 2012 "Fabricating Update" e-newsletter. In the response, the fabricator said manufacturing companies could find skilled labor if they were willing to pay for the talent they were seeking: "To put it simply, there is no shortage of skilled labor in this area. The issue that persists now is the fact that no one is willing to pay for this labor. Reputable and large facilities are attempting to hire individuals to weld carbon steel, stainless, and aluminum, and the typical rate is $10 to $12 an hour."

(more...)

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Posted in Industry Trends & Analysis, Shop Soapbox, Training and Retention | No Comments »

'Skilled labor standing right here, willing to relocate!'

February 7th, 2012
By: Vicki Bell

The January "Fabricating Update" included statistics and comments from the e-newsletter's recent survey about fabricator concerns. Some of the comments focused on the lack of skilled labor, an oft-cited concern in the fabricating industry and manufacturing as a whole. 

This information garnered even more comments, such as a very thoughtful response from Todd, an Alabama reader whose signature included the aka: Skilled labor standing right here, willing to relocate!

Todd's response chronicles his experience as a skilled craftsman, paints a picture of what is happening in his part of the country, and raises a valid point about why employers might be having such a difficult time attracting qualified workers. (more...)

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Posted in Manager's Desk, Shop Soapbox, Training and Retention | 15 Comments »

Suppressing wages?

July 13th, 2011
By: Vicki Bell

The July "Fabricating Update" e-newsletter featured reader comments about wages and whether employers are suppressing them to boost profits. These comments were inspired by a quote in the June issue from a reader reflecting on a potential manufacturing renaissance: "It is great that the companies are making increased profits, but with the trade agreements, are they doing it by suppressing wages? We have companies here in Michigan that use the threat of moving work to Mexico to gain wage concessions!"

The possibility exists that some companies are doing just that. At least it would appear so from some of the comments we received. (more...)

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Top 10 most stressful jobs

April 26th, 2011
By: Eric Lundin

Careercast.com, a job search Web site, recently posted the results of a couple of surveys regarding stressful jobs. Two thoughts occurred to me immediately: The 91.2 percent of people who have jobs right now are just happy to have a steady paycheck, and the 8.8 percent who don’t are experiencing stress far worse than the most stressful job. But enough of my musings, and on to the survey. (more...)

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The Catch 22 of collateral

December 15th, 2009
By: Tim Heston

Earlier this year, I landed at the Detroit airport en route to a conference. I got into my rental car, headed to the I-94 on-ramp, and then I saw it. There, next to the highway, was a big billboard advertising, of all things, a metal fabricator: "W Industries: Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Industrial."

Notice anything missing?

At the time, W Industries was making headlines. Local organizations were recognizing the company as one who successfully diversified outside automotive. And that was definitely something to flaunt in this economy.

But today, as the economy and credit markets get back on their feet, a wrinkle has been thrown into the diversity equation: the depreciation of assets. As Chris Kuehl, economist for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl., wryly said during a keynote panel at this year's FABTECH Intl. & AWS Welding Show, "Now [the banks] are saying, 'Gosh, we expect you to pay the money back, and we're interested in collateral.'"

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No layoffs (except for Congress)

November 11th, 2009
By: Vicki Bell

Yes, Tim, it truly is about jobs. Congress can debate health care reform, bail out banks, extend unemployment benefits, work to develop a climate bill, increase the legislative budget, and do whatever else it does until the cows come home, but we need jobs—lots of good jobs—for the economy to improve.

Jobs and a healthy economy are analogous to the chicken and the egg. You can't have one without the other. And without jobs and a healthy economy, the U.S. can't afford the flood of money Congress is spending these days. The current situation is a mindboggling conundrum—a mess. I don't have the answers, but I believe employers and employees can work together to mitigate job loss—just as the companies mentioned in my colleague's blog post did. Fabricating Update readers think so too.

(more...)

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'It's all bad' (No, it isn't)

October 21st, 2009
By: Vicki Bell

Yesterday evening, I sat in a Jiffy Lube waiting room while my car was undergoing an emissions test—a requirement for tag renewal. A small, very old-school, rabbit-eared TV tuned to a local news station stood in the corner. As I attempted to wile away the time reading the latest but already well-worn issue of People magazine and catch up with the David Letterman situation, a fellow waiting room occupant began to talk to me about what was happening on TV. She laughed and said, "My husband keeps telling me to stop watching the news. It's all bad."

Throughout the years, I've heard this advice from several people, most memorably, an individual who taught courses at Rock Valley College, Rockford, Ill., in the early 90s about the mind-body connection. Myrna (not her real name, but close) said we should never watch the news, or read the newspaper; it isn't healthy.

(more...)

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Realigning value

August 7th, 2009
By: Tim Heston

The numbers popping up in the media recently draw an interesting, perhaps conflicted picture of the state of business in the U.S. Here's why.

First, there's unemployment. Like many, I expected the unemployment rate to continue its relentless rise past the symbolic 10 percent mark. It didn't. It fell a bit, to 9.4 percent. Dig a little deeper into the government's official release, though, and you'll find that 14,000 people in the fabricated metal products sector lost their jobs. Machinery-makers shed 15,000. And manufacturing overall shed 2 million jobs since this recession began.

(more...)

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