From the APP:
NJ manufacturing jobs grow, but will parents let kids skip college?
Aquatherm, a Lakewood manufacturer that makes solar heating systems for swimming pools, has no shortage of ideas that could help its business grow.
Workers, on the other hand, are another story.
“I see our engineers come up with ideas and they have to stop sometimes and we can’t move forward because we don’t have the right people on the production line,” Patricia Cubero, general manager.
Help is on the way to Aquatherm and other blue-collar firms, even if a new effort won’t pay off for several years. New Jersey is launching a program in Ocean County to reignite interest in careers that fell out of favor by offering field trips in manufacturing for students and an all-important constituency — their parents.
It’s a step, officials say, toward rebuilding what has been a broken ladder to the middle class. And it comes on the heels of a recent series by the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey and the Asbury Park Press that looked at what it will take to restore the American dream.
…
New Jersey’s manufacturing history is rich. It was sparked by Alexander Hamilton, who turned Paterson into America’s first industrial city, powered by the Great Falls, seen in the video above. It later was home to workers who made RCA television sets and Ford Motor Co. automobiles.
Employers began to flee New Jersey for lower cost states and countries, taking workers with them. The manufacturing sector dropped from nearly 550,000 jobs in 1990 to fewer than 240,000 in 2015, according to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
But in the past four years, the sector has shown signs of life. Its job growth rate of 5.6 percent matched the overall employment growth in the state, and topped the manufacturing job growth nationwide of 4.2 percent. Learn more about the fields with the fastest growth in the video at the top of this story.
In New Jersey, for example, machinists make on average $50,160 a year, while tool and die makers earn on average $55,680 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
…
New Jersey might be finding a niche in so-called advanced manufacturing, which depends on technology and automation to make the end product.
“We’re not going to compete in manufacturing where labor costs themselves are a huge part of the final cost of the product,” Rutgers University economist James W. Hughes said. “But with advanced manufacturing, it’s much more automated and labor is much more skilled.”
The rebound is putting pressure on the industry. Some 360,000 manufacturing jobs in New Jersey are unfilled, according to the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program. And the labor crunch isn’t expected to ease; 80 percent of jobs are held by workers between the ages of 45 and 65.
The jobs are a potential pathway to the middle class, and they don’t require a four-year college degree. But both manufacturers and educators say convincing parents that the field is right for their children is a tough sell.
Another great article from Mr. Diamond.
BTW, hired two employees.
During high school, I worked afternoons in a chemical factory alongside the full time workers, mostly high school dropouts. Maybe 15 employees total. Founder was great. Army vet kept equipment running. Funniest guy ever led sales.
Then moved to NJ. First impression was upper middle class NJ parents don’t expect their teenage children to work on afternoons, weekends, and summers. Maybe helps explain shortage of workers in this state.
In other news, April NJ home stats finally released by the realtors. Hudson cooling. End of 25 year run?
Most people won’t be able to survive on $55k in NJ.
Work like that is repetitive and soul sucking.
Work like that is repetitive and soul sucking.
Except if you like doing that work. Not everybody excels in a dynamic work environment, where their work type and expectations about their expected outcomes change on a daily basis.
7:12 people like that often end up doing por…n
Mike Rowe is outstanding in championing the honor and dignity of doing these kinds of jobs well. 50% of our population is below average in intelligence, and it is much better for everyone if they can find a useful trade rather than the Democratic Party dream of them getting degrees in race studies, environmental studies, or teaching in Abbot Districts.
Teaching sucks . Bottom line.
Someone has to do it though…right!?
Most schools run on a mix of idealism and incompetence.
Most people being hired into jobs are being hired into specific roles, that have them doing the same thing every day. Accountants do the same things every day, teachers do the same thing every day, machinists do the same thing every day, assembly line workers do the same thing every day, dentists do the same thing every day, general practitioners do the same thing every day, nurses do the same thing every day.
Mosts machinists I know have incredible pride in their work. You might think it’s mind numbingly repetitive, but it’s not, it’s just your narrow view and your own bias coming into play. To them it’s exacting science, quality, six-sigma and process improvement, materials, etc etc. If you think it’s easy, try it.
Oh please. I get it. Environment matters. Working in piles of metal shavings in a dank warehouse. Thanks. My bias is against all work.
No One….. for you….
https://nypost.com/2019/05/28/bombshell-suit-claims-carranzas-toxic-whiteness-purge-cost-doe-execs-their-jobs/
No One says:
May 29, 2019 at 7:49 am
Mike Rowe is outstanding in championing the honor and dignity of doing these kinds of jobs well. 50% of our population is below average in intelligence, and it is much better for everyone if they can find a useful trade rather than the Democratic Party dream of them getting degrees in race studies, environmental studies, or teaching in Abbot Districts.
I want to work in a commercial bakery and make those packaged cookies and pastries. That’s my dream job or my next career. I’m serious. lol.
My bias is against all work.
LOL
Chifi,
This organization sounds less than laser focused on educating children. Sounds similar to the plot of the movie “The Death of Stalin”, with gangs of power hungry commies looking to climb over the stabbed backs of their comrades. For the good of the people, of course. I wonder what would happen if customers and service providers were able to voluntarily transact in a competitive marketplace for education.
“My bias is against all work.”
I found that clever as well Joyce. Good one matey.
Grim: Mr. Chu we tried twice, and found it underwhelming. If in the area, sure. But there’s Saffron close by as well.
I too worked blue collar from age 16 through 23. Mostly pick and pack for pharma, but some makeup and some Wakefern. The characters in these joints were a lot of fun and the drive for success was high. Accuracy and safety were paramount. Think about this, I once put the wrong label on the wrong box. The box contained 16 doses of Cytovene, which at the time (just released) was worth $32,000. This was at the peak of the AIDs epidemic and this drug worked wonders to keep those infected from going blind, which was common with HIV back then. Well of course the person who received the package denied ever having seen it and I nearly lost my job over it. I was probably saved only because I was 16 and a temporary worker and had no clue of the value of what I was packing. The management quickly went over with me the high value items so I would be EXTRA careful when shipping those.
There were some interesting characters in the plant too. There were some gorgeous women too. I remember this one dude we called the million dollar man. He was a bow hunter and rarely went food shopping. Besides his garden and his kills, we was pretty near self-sufficient. He drove a car which was 30 years old (in perfect condition) and saved every penny he earned. The blue collars would joke that he owned the company. One of the managers was brother’s with the manager of the Minnesota Twins. Another guy I worked with was so smart, he would help me with my trigonometry homework over my lunch breaks on the weekends. I have a lot more respect for blue collars than I do for white collars. Blues can’t fcuk around all day and get paid. Every move they make is monitored. No NJREREPORT for them when on the company clock. Heck, they even limit bathroom breaks.
https://www.njherald.com/20190408/future-bright-for-thorlabs-newton
I loaded trucks, did pick/pack, pumped gas, heavy construction, washed dishes in a diner and on and on. Yes, in a blue collar world, everything is measured and timed… the 15 minute break, the 30 or 45 minute lunch and so on. I have no qualms about going back to it eventually.
Enjoy: https://youtu.be/RDnlU6rPfwY
Gets you to realize that some people are not treated as human beings, they are treated on the same level as a robot. The sacrifice these people make so that people can purchase “cheap” products from the owner goes unappreciated. Think of this the next time you blast the min wage for driving up costs….it’s called have some compassion.
The hardest workers make the least, while the workers barking orders make the most….capitalism definitely is not perfect. That’s my major problem with capitalism, it rewards greed and sociopath behavior much more than “hard work” and doing the “right thing.” Working hard and doing the right thing gets you killed in capitalism, while lacking empathy and being overly greedy gets you huge rewards.
“I have a lot more respect for blue collars than I do for white collars. Blues can’t fcuk around all day and get paid. Every move they make is monitored. No NJREREPORT for them when on the company clock. Heck, they even limit bathroom breaks.”
Grim,
My father worked in management for marine manufacturing his whole life. I spent my childhood running around the giant production floors in Harrison and finding the coolest metal shavings possible. For the last 20 years of his career, he was president / CEO for a small plant in Engelwood. I agree that it takes skill and pride to work in the shop. Most of them were nice working class guys. He told me that one machine guy worked 40 years and retired with 1.5m. No kids or wife. Nice life for him. I think the article fails to mention a big point – manufacturing management needs training. My Dad was old school and came ups ranks quickly from bottom then moved through ops and sales. He was raised by Democrat pro-union Irish father. He took care of his workers every year. Bonuses and 401k match were never on table for cuts. He never did it even with pressure from board during bad years. A major issues are with companies that purchase manufacturing plants where board is rich finance types with zero clue about end products. When my Dad’s company sold upon his retirement in 2017, the new owners immediately cut bonuses and 401k. You work for a small company looking to sell to bigger guy and prepare to be f-ed over and over again, shop skills or not. All juice squeezers now.
For example, offshoring. How did this start? Some sociopath had no trouble shipping jobs and destroying lives so that he can profit more. Once this sociopath made that choice, the rest of the competition had to follow. Yes, you want a well run efficient machine, but not at the expense of selling out your country. These are people, human beings with families to feed. That’s crazy, but that’s exactly what happened. Then on top of sending out jobs, they lobbied to lower their cost for taking care of the country by introducing tax reform….screwing the middle and lower classes even more. No idea how these people live with themselves. Why so much hate for the “worker,” I just don’t get it. Some of the sickos think the worker helping them make money is the enemy and act on it. Just ruthless.
Happy “529” Day! 5/29, get it?
Bystander,
It was a time when men were men. It sounds a lot like my father – voted democrat, was a union member, looked out for the next guy. That generation was a different breed.
..and Blumpkin, you never fail to amaze with your utter stupidity and denial. The greatest and most stable economy ever, huh? It is a farce and has been a farce a long time. The truth is that faith has been shaken in the system. You hold a house for 15 years, just to take a bath and now you expect these people to be great consumers? Human nature will probably keep them from any future big purchases given their huge loss. Also, kills rates and give people 0% on their hard assets while pumping bubble stock market? Most people are not invested anyway and those that invest know it does not make an economy strong. It is all government narratives to make everyone “believe” again. There is no strong labor market except at lowest dishwasher levels. Inflation is below 2%? My garbage man just raised 15%. Gas is 3.15 now in CT, up 40 cents a gallon. Wages are not putrid given Orange idiots giant tax cut. He will fold on China when the stock market tanks, which it is now. It is driving all political decisions which is sign of instability. Just be happy that you have single child and high earning spouse because that is only reason for your blind, stupid optimism. It is sh*t show for 80% that are living hand to mouth in this area.
That’s why you moved to the left coast to become a pro fluffer? Wait until Carpal Tunnel takes you down.
Oh please. I get it. Environment matters. Working in piles of metal shavings in a dank warehouse. Thanks. My bias is against all work.
Plans for Wayne Ping Pong Palace released.
https://gph.to/2wpSAg6
Perspective and bias is a powerful force in our lives, and no one is immune to it. Maybe I have lost touch with how the avg individual is coping in this economy, and thank you for pointing that out.
Thing is, our economy is a reflection of capitalism. There is no fix for this unless the rich are willing to give back…and good luck with that. You know the saying…keep your hand out of my pocket.
So the truth of the matter, this economy will never be good for everyone. So we should not expect it to unless we decide to become compassionate human beings and give back to the lower ranks at the expense of the higher ranks. Now you are talking social!sm and you know how the country feels about that. Look at how Murphy is hated for trying to ask for money from the rich in the form of taxes and then investing it in education and the community….they flip the hell out and call him every nickname in the book just because he is trying to make a better society for all. Like I said, good luck with that.
Moral of the story, right now we only care about how the economy is working for business and the rich, everything else is collateral damage. That’s all we care about, and if you think otherwise, you are lying to yourself.
So the capitalist economy is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. Through competition, it’s growing the economy and creating massive wealth in the hands of a few, just as it is supposed to do. Everyone is being lifted, but they are also falling way behind from the people at the top which is the very essense of the economic system.
Bystander says:
May 29, 2019 at 12:31 pm
..and Blumpkin, you never fail to amaze with your utter stupidity and denial. The greatest and most stable economy ever, huh? It is a farce and has been a farce a long time. The truth is that faith has been shaken in the system. You hold a house for 15 years, just to take a bath and now you expect these people to be great consumers? Human nature will probably keep them from any future big purchases given their huge loss. Also, kills rates and give people 0% on their hard assets while pumping bubble stock market? Most people are not invested anyway and those that invest know it does not make an economy strong. It is all government narratives to make everyone “believe” again. There is no strong labor market except at lowest dishwasher levels. Inflation is below 2%? My garbage man just raised 15%. Gas is 3.15 now in CT, up 40 cents a gallon. Wages are not putrid given Orange idiots giant tax cut. He will fold on China when the stock market tanks, which it is now. It is driving all political decisions which is sign of instability. Just be happy that you have single child and high earning spouse because that is only reason for your blind, stupid optimism. It is sh*t show for 80% that are living hand to mouth in this area.
Yep, Ed. Raised to respect their work and treat employees with dignity. All gone from this country now. Both sides throw the American worker under bus to save a dollar.
Blumpkin,
Offshoring reason is not unknown. Back in mid 90s, being able to spell Excel ohhed and ahhed executives. You got 70k for just saying you had tech skills. You could bullshit and they had no tech leadership to question it. When the bubble snapped in early 2000s, companies smartened up and hired real CIO teams. They knew how internet, cell phone/ voice IP, Enterprise/BPM and remote/citrix apps could revolutionize workforce. They had all the reason in world to seek cheaper labor. You had politicians helping them out. Question is – what will bring them back? Answer, only legislation restricting H1 and offshoring abuse. Will never happen. I am sure you knew that though.
Best machine tech I had was also the laziest. Most techs would repair the same problem over and over. Week after week. The response was that’s just the way it is and this equipment sucks. This one tech I had would find a solution after the second time an issue would repeat. He Had to many side hustles going to spend time on work issues. So he would tear apart the equip and redesign it so he would not get called in for the repair. Guy just wanted to sit in the shop doing his other stuff. A great machinist with multiple trade knowledge can do that. This was not gmp equip and I would not condone this behavior with such equipment.
Finally someone who gets it:
TOKYO — A Japanese man was arrested on Wednesday for using a stun gun to discipline his three children, police said, the latest in a series of child abuse cases that have prompted legislators to seek a ban on corporal punishment.
The 45-year-old man in the southern city of Kitakyushu told police he used a stun gun on his two daughters, ages 17 and 13, and 11-year-old son “when they didn’t follow the rules,” a police official told Reuters.
The boy suffered a minor burn on his arm and there were no visible injuries on the girls, the police official said.
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Mueller: ‘If we had had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so’
As opposed to Hillary Clinton who committed multiple crimes but.. but.. it was not intentional.
Okay, now I get it [eyes rolling].
Corporatocracy and plutocracy are not forms of free market capitalism, idiot. Wake up. Winners were chosen, risks of failure removed and people with great wealth were given enormous wealth. You are peon, a servant though you may have married up enough to not clean the chamber pots.
I don’t blame them for offshoring, but I do question their moral character. You have to be pretty sick in the head to destroy a family/community in the name of “MORE” profit.
Bystander says:
May 29, 2019 at 1:26 pm
Yep, Ed. Raised to respect their work and treat employees with dignity. All gone from this country now. Both sides throw the American worker under bus to save a dollar.
Blumpkin,
Offshoring reason is not unknown. Back in mid 90s, being able to spell Excel ohhed and ahhed executives. You got 70k for just saying you had tech skills. You could bullshit and they had no tech leadership to question it. When the bubble snapped in early 2000s, companies smartened up and hired real CIO teams. They knew how internet, cell phone/ voice IP, Enterprise/BPM and remote/citrix apps could revolutionize workforce. They had all the reason in world to seek cheaper labor. You had politicians helping them out. Question is – what will bring them back? Answer, only legislation restricting H1 and offshoring abuse. Will never happen. I am sure you knew that though.
Eddie-so mueller was unable to prove a negative? Gee, fair standard.
I’d love to see this shltbag testify and explain why he used someone who was invited to hillary’s Election night banquet to staff his investigation. Not to mention he applied to be fbi director and trump said no thanks. Mueller is so riddled with conflicts of interest he has no credibility.
GdBlsU45,
I want the dems to keep pushing for impeachment. I want nothing but Trump syndrome right up to the 2020 election. They think he’s nuts now? Wait until you see what he does in his 2nd term. And Trump just gave Barr the authority to declassify any documents related to surveillance of his campaign. Hahaha!!
Eddie, Trump is repugnant, he is a horrible person, who is literally out of control. That being said the whole Russia collusion thing was and continues to be a farce. It appears that Clinton and Obama must have been involved in blatantly illegal activities during the campaign. Given the field for 2020 Trump is likely the best option despite his apparent flaws. Despite being absolutely ridiculous his policies haven’t totally ruined the country.
Boo Hoo Mueller- We feel Trump did something but we cannot find any evidence to back up our hunches and feelings.
We aren’t dealing with facts and evidence anymore it is just feelings. Kenn Star offered a list of impeachable offenses, and Starr had with evidence to back it up. Big difference here Muller.
Either way the Dems are going to lose here, an impeachment trial in the Senate without evidence? Convict him since he hurt our feelings!!!
LOL!!
Plans for Wayne Ping Pong Palace released.
https://gph.to/2wpSAg6
Just as social!sm can’t escape human nature, neither can capitalism. Corporatocracy is inevitable, just accept it as a part of the system due to human nature. It’s impossible to expect people to amass fortunes and not use that to protect/build their position. They will use their power position every single time.
Bystander says:
May 29, 2019 at 1:51 pm
Corporatocracy and plutocracy are not forms of free market capitalism, idiot. Wake up. Winners were chosen, risks of failure removed and people with great wealth were given enormous wealth. You are peon, a servant though you may have married up enough to not clean the chamber pots.
This is why inequality of this magnitude is so dangerous. 1% of the population owning 36% of the pie is dangerous…the amount of power that comes with that allows them to do whatever they want (aka change the rules so their family is always at the top…(aka getting rid of things like the estate tax push us towards this reality). It’s them bending the rules so their fortune is protected from risk…aka their family is becoming gods amongst men. This is when these fortunes become dangerous. Gods like to dictate and think they know what’s best for everyone. Before you know it, we are back to monarchies running the show. Be very fearful of people with this much power…
Honestly, monarchies are a relic of the past. That period of history taught the ultra rich to hide behind the curtain and pull the strings, much more efficient in maintaining your power position.
Primer on outsourcing… As with most disasters an unholy agreement among established parties, paid political hacks, and incompetent businessmen, ie NAFTA.
https://youtu.be/xQ7kn2-GEmM
CNBC reporting on the border shutdown a few weeks back stated some cars cross the border three times… Yeah, that makes sense
We’ve got a really fascinating economy.
With some very scary times ahead if/when it corrects.