The Conservative Cave
Current Events => Economics => Topic started by: Chris_ on February 17, 2008, 02:46:29 AM
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Dirk VanEnkevort wanted to take advantage of a shipbuilding boom when his family's company leased one of the largest dry docks in the Great Lakes region in 2005. But now he is so short-handed he has turned to robots to help keep up.
His company, Erie Shipbuilding LLC, has since hired about 150 workers and equipped the facility on Lake Erie with sophisticated metalworking tools, including robots. It now has orders to build eight ocean-going barges and plans to hire additional workers as needed.
But as his order book fills, VanEnkevort faces a problem that is hampering dozens of other midsize commercial shipyards across the country: a shortage of skilled, experienced workers capable of assembling and welding freight ships.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon_ships_0128jan28,1,6228332.story (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon_ships_0128jan28,1,6228332.story)
This truly baffles me. This industry has been crying foul, about being unable to hire qualified workers for some time now. This particular company in another news article, cried out how that even though they're offering the prevailing wage of that industry... they just can't find people. Lets ignore that, in other industries, people with the same skill sets can earn twice what your industry is offering.
In another article, it was mentioned how a Shipyard owner tried to have foreigners arrested. They came to the US on work visa's to work at the shipyard, and once they arrived... laughed, we're highly skilled and qualified persons with visas... we can go elsewhere and make twice what you offered.