Publisher’s Note

PUBLISHER

PUBLISHER’S PAGE by David Corson

Getting ‘down and dirty’ in 2022

As we go to close out 2021, we can reflect on what a year it has been. One business concern item that consistently comes up in conversation, especially with people in construction, is labor. Will you be able to find who you need to get your projects done?

It does not matter if your firm is large or small, in any sector of the overall business economy, workers are hard to come by these days. Recently, we went to dinner at a local establishment, where upon entering I saw a note from management saying they were understaffed. So, if you are dining out where businesses are trying to keep their doors open, please, please, please do not yell at your servers. They are working their tails off. The problem is young people today. They think working with their hands is a step back and earning a four-year college degree is the only way to succeed. I beg to differ. There are tons of blue-collar jobs all over this country. In general, people do not want to work. More so, the younger generation is not trained, nor do they want to do these jobs, which is a shame. Being a plumber, electrician, contractor, welder, maintenance, etc., are professions you can make a lot of money in. You just have to work smart and hard. Mike Rowe from his hit TV show “Dirty Jobs” was right on target about today’s labor shortage. If we had trained individuals to do the dirty jobs he does every episode—the really dirty jobs— people would see they could earn a good living from the less dirty ones. There is a lot of pride that comes with construction- and facilities-related jobs. Too many kids go to college to earn a degree that will not get them a job to pay for their education, which means their parents must pay it off. And they do not want to think about going to a tech school to learn a trade. That is taboo. Why not go get trained, paid why you learn, and then either keep working and moving up the corporate ladder. Or go out and start your own company. Be an entrepreneur. We can have all the green jobs and products we want in the future, but with no one willing to work to build them, we may be in big trouble. Robots cannot do it all. So, I am inviting you to join us for our keynote speaker from “Rock the Trades” at our January 20th, 2022, Virtual Summit on Zoom. Learn how the skills gap we are experiencing may leave an estimated 2.4 million skilled manufacturing positions unfilled between 2018 to 2028. These are jobs we need filled if we are going to keep the US economy moving. How can we help convince the youngsters to take the blue-collar path to make money with a respected career? Remember, the sum is bigger than the whole. Join us online and have a listen. We are all in this labor fiasco together. So, as we close the books on 2021 and open the first chapter of 2022, I hope each of you have an enjoyable holiday season with family and friends. Enjoy your time off to recharge your batteries and stay positive. And, as always, keep the faith. CCR