Job Market - Humor or Reality

Just ran across this local posting for jobs. Was impressed, wages have gone up. How's this compare to your area?


Local manufacturing company has immediate opening for experienced maintenance. Interested candidates with great attitude, ability to work independently, knowledge of 3 phase electrical. Welding experience a plus.

Job Title: Miintenance
Primary Skills: Mechanical aptitude; work independantly; Exp welding
Job Industry: Manufacturing
Vacancies: 1
Job City:
Job Metro Area:
Job State: IL
Job Country: US
Salary: $8.50/HOURLY To $9.00/HOURLY
Hours per Week: 40
Start Date: 02/07/2005
Job Duration: 12+ months
Degree Type: HS
Degree Area: NA
Experience Minimum: 1 Years
Certificates/Licenses:

Kinda surprised they didn't want 5-10 years PLC experience.

regards.....casey

Casey,

Do you have any contact info for that job posting?? I need to get outta Dodge and make some real money.....

Contact Info

Will get it right out via e-mail!

I didn't want these guys to be swamped, actually they are a nationwide employment service, MAN. with the POWER to really get someone excited for this job. Last summer they had two similar ads, one for $6.50, and one for $8.50.

If nothing else, you will like the area. Starved Rock State Park is near by, named after a liottle trick played on some indians. Then there is the popular local book, "The Starved Rock Murders".

And testsubject is just a short drive away, we could slip up while he is at school or work, and raid his beer cooler!

You could moonlight on some of the area elevators. There are four hospitals that probably have them, they are all three floors high.

Will keep an eye out for your moving van!

regards.....casey

kc9ih said:

...Was impressed, wages have gone up.

Salary: $8.50/HOURLY To $9.00/HOURLY
Hours per Week: 40

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Either you're being sarcastic, or the cost of living is really low in Illinois. That pay scale would barely cover the cost of owning a vehicle in NJ...

beerchug

-Eric

It sounds to me they want a wrench slinger with metal hot-glue ability. About right here in north central Taxes.

I will not roll my truck for less than $xx.xx/hr - unless I was starving.

I had a company 'bending over backwards' to hire me for $12.5 - dummies! Ohh, and can you bring your rollaway and your laptop(s), with all the software on them? (PLC(s) up to SERIOUS Fanuc city)

Ya gotts ta remember: "you engineers are a dime a dozen"

ANSWER: "No... but I can avail myself - at MY price"

Rod (The CNC dude)

Eric:

I'm half serious and half sarcastic. Cost of living is low compared to Peoria, Bloomington, Chi Suburbs, but it is not that cheap. I live in an area with the lowest gas and electric utilities around. Still, close to $400.00 last month, highest I've ever seen.

Was offered $10 per hour a year ago to be production supervisor in a multi-million dollar operation.

WalMart distribution Center came in a few years back, and emptied out several factories and a lot of construction firms when they offered $10/hour.


Friend of my son got to be a foreman on a pole building operation with no experience. Only one of six new hires with a drivers license. He gets to drive the club cab and pull the loader/post hole driller.

But on the other hand, you can find 50 cent drafts and $1.00 cans. But you can pay $2.25 for a can, too.

There are some better paying jobs. A few places are offering $18-$19 for electricians heavy on PLC's and welding. Well, they advertise a lot, have multiple openings, and don't hire.

On the other hand, things are relatively quiet, we don't get to concerned about terrorists and other big city things.

Real estate is cheap. $100,000 will give you your choice of a couple dozen abandoned factories.

regards.....casey

Man, and I thought that the $15-17 an hour in eastern TN was low for an experienced maint electrician. Then agian, average income around here is probably around $25k.

dale

19$ an hour? I'm only a beginning programmer, and I better make more than that if you want me to hop in your helicopter! Welding? I don't even go near a welding machine! Louisiana has a pretty low cost of living, too. My electricity tops at about $60 a month (that's with 3 kids and a wife). My monthly expenditure for utilities is only around $300 (I have DSL and Dish network).
You guys aren't serious? The oil industry is always looking for people with PLC experience. And they pay pretty darn good to get it. At $35 to $40 dollars a barrel, they have the money.

At $35 to $40 dollars a barrel

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With recent increases in the price of oil, have you seen more guys heading to the oilfields for work?

You wouldn't believe what the local AB panel shop pays for a PLC programmer.

A large manufacturer is advertising for engineers, all kinds, $28,000/year. The run 24/7, hired help is 12 hour days, alternating shifts every other week. Place is a couple years old, continuously expanding, and constantly advertising for help. They have a turnover of 50-75 people per week. Can't get electricians, may pay 20 this week, 18 next week. Place has drying ovens, hot, smelly, and an occasional death (heat stroke???). Plus, they have an "approved" college list. My college was not on it, thank goodness! I aced their tests (about 10 of them), but can't know anything as my school was unapproved. Oh well.

Now that Mike's coming, maybe some of other guys should too!

There is always Milwaukee or Michigan...

Good grief!!! Would not get out of bed for that rate each morning.

Can get more per hour on the dole and go fishing.

Standard building site wire jerking electrician (no brains) gets about $27-30 per hour plus site allowances etc in Sydney (Ozz).

My minimum rate as a full time employee would be $35 per hour and that includes 4 weeks holidays, rostered day off each month, 9% employer superannuation - and I am just a common OLD (applicable) electrical fitter (tradesman).

Minimum rate working for myself, for a long term contract, would be $55 per hour. Casual call out $80 per hour, and I get told I am cheap. Got all the expenses (worker's comp, insurance etc) though.

And then you look at the fact you are probably working for a power mad dill brain, have to put up with company politics, back stabbers, brown noses etc!!! Then look at the exchage rate - about 79c AUS to the US $.

PASS

I thought the US was a land of opportunity!!!!

good hell... that's way low. that kind of position would fetch about $12-$14 around here. but then again, cost of living in DE is probably a lot higher than IL, and we have a zillion corporations in the area fightin' with each other for folks who have half a clue.

Here in New Zealand the numbers are very similar to Bob's, allowing for the now small exchange rate difference; 1.0NZ$ = 0.92AUS$. Actually thanks Bob, I was amazed out closely we lined up.

I've just signed up about 200 hours at US$47 per hour and that was at the low end reflecting the fact that they are my largest client who pay reliably and have more work in the pipeline.

A close friend who works 4 day on/4day off shift work at a tyre plant (electrical fitter and maintenance) and works his own small contract business on the 4 days off grossed over U$180k last year. (!@#$ing Dutch workaholic!!)

Add on top of that our total unemployment rate of 3.2% (running at 1.2% for those with any form of qualification) and I guess Bob and I could make out a good case for any of you feeling like a change of hemisphere right now.

my largest client who pay reliably and have more work in the pipeline.

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Majic words Philip. We all work to get paid at the end of the day.

U$180k last year

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I WISH!!!!

total unemployment rate of 3.2%

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A bit better than ours but not much.

(running at 1.2% for those with any form of qualification)

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Forget the qualifications. I presume you mean technical. The only qualifications I ever consider is
1) "Can they do the job?"
2) "Are they reliable and competant?" And the biggest one of all
3) "Are they willing to work and learn?"

Have had plenty of "know it alls". Damned useless quite frankly.

Refer to 1), 2) and 3) above.

By the way Philip, bought some excellent Marlborough Sauv Blanc again the other day. It is starting to rival our Bridgewater Mill for "YUM."

Long way to go with the reds though. Hard to beat Coonawarra, Clare Valley, Barrosa, Langhorne Creek and a few others I can highly recommend.

At 88.9 cents a litre, that wouldnt get me to the parking lot. In mining here trades rate is between $21.00 and $28.00. In the forest sector its $25.00 to $29.58. Thats Canadian dollars. (funny money). Shop rate for contractors starts at $45.00 plus travel expenses. I pay about $127.00 hydro a month and $129.00 a month Natural gas. (for heating). A six pack of beer is $10.75.

Bruce