i hope Trump can bring jobs back

[MakeAStash]

Tariffs on imported goods (trade protection) can make them less attractive than domestic goods. Such tinkering supports inefficient domestic production, causing everyone to pay more for goods.

[kork13]

Foment a cultural change in our society that inspires, encourages, and incentivizes the incredible work ethic for which our country was once known and respected around the world (which is no longer the case, if you ask any of even our closest international partners).

How can a president do that? My focus would be on training & education.

- First & foremost: Shape public attention and opinion from the bully pulpit, and partner with Congress & state governors in advancing the necessary changes.
- Dramatically expand access to and affordability of community colleges and trade schools, paired with a focus on placement into internships and apprenticeships.
- Incentivize and subsidize colleges and universities to emphasize STEM-related degree programs, while reducing or eliminating funding for disciplines of little use to us as a nation... I love the arts, but they hold sparse few jobs and potential for most people. The elect few with true abilities will still pursue those areas, but as a nation, we don't need to support their dreams.
- Start them young! Develop programs for middle & high school students that will spark their interest in either those same STEM fields, or show them the opportunities available in the many specialized trades.
- Encourage (require?) the teaching of critical thinking! This develops us as a people, and prevents group think, mob rule, and a host of other societal flaws.
- Hold teachers & professors accountable (within reason) for the learning and performance of their students. Reward and extol excellence, and drum out the lazy, incompetent, and ineffective. Yes, testing would likely be a part of it, but in our data-driven society, there is a litany of additional ways to quantify student performance & achievement. This will require extensive cooperation with both teaching institutions and teachers themselves (and unfortunately their unions).

I see the problem as a societal one, a growing lackadaisical attitude that festers and takes root over time. The jobs are there right now! There is simply a dearth of skilled and willing people to perform them. If we can direct and shape the incredible yet latent ability of our youth at an early age, and support it through to adulthood, it would radically alter our country's persona, capability, capacity, and global standing.

[james.hendrickson]

Guys - I moved this thread to the "everything else" section. Discussing trump and jobs is finance related, but not directly, so I moved it to be sure everything is in the right swim lane.

[StormRichards]

the workers constantly come in late or don't show up at all. If they do show up, they spend more time goofing off then working and need to be let go.

I would be willing to bet a month's salary that the workers you are hearing about are millennials. It is extremely rare I come across one where I work that actually has any work ethics.

If Trump were able to bring back manufacturing jobs, I think they are more likely to be filled by Generation Xers that were displaced and need to start over.

[bjl584]

I'm curious. What do you think the President (or government in general) can do to make a major corporation move their facilities from Mexico to the US?

Nothing really. I mean, theoretically, he and Congress could put in place policies, tax structures, and laws that are business friendly. But, even then, it's a lot more complicated than that. A multibillion dollar, global company, isn't going to shut down a multi-million dollar manufacturing plant that is overseas just because taxes are lower in the USA. I doubt they would rebuild a factory in the states for millions of dollars just to save some tax dollars that they are currently passing on to their customers anyway. Even with low taxes there are still things like the EPA, OSHA, wage laws, healthcare, social security, FMLA, etc to consider.

The only thing that I can think of that would bring manufacturing out of China and back to the US, would be if China suddenly erupted into civil war and became a lawless war zone. Of course, if that happened, we'd all have a lot bigger problems than outsourcing.

[Singuy]

I would be willing to bet a month's salary that the workers you are hearing about are millennials. It is extremely rare I come across one where I work that actually has any work ethics.

If Trump were able to bring back manufacturing jobs, I think they are more likely to be filled by Generation Xers that were displaced and need to start over.

You want to direct deposit that salary into my bank account?

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat46.htm

55yo+ have a higher absentee rate than 55 and under. 20-24 shows no difference vs people between 25-55.

[StormRichards]

You want to direct deposit that salary into my bank account?

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat46.htm

55yo+ have a higher absentee rate than 55 and under. 20-24 shows no difference vs people between 25-55.

And what are the statistics on poor work ethics?

I created a thread the other day for post election discussions. Just got done posting another link in it. Definitely would be a good read for you in particular.

[corn18]

There are jobs available. My company has over 6,000 open requests right now. And it has been that high for a while. Why do we need the President to bring jobs back? We have jobs. Why don't we approach this from the other direction and help people become employable. And give them the moral courage to at least show up for 8 hours a day. The problem isn't that there aren't jobs because there are. The problem is that the 5% that are currently unemployed are not qualified to be employed (at least the applicants I get). And the ones that might be worth employing are currently out of the hunt.

[StormRichards]

There are jobs available. My company has over 6,000 open requests right now. And it has been that high for a while. Why do we need the President to bring jobs back? We have jobs. Why don't we approach this from the other direction and help people become employable. And give them the moral courage to at least show up for 8 hours a day. The problem isn't that there aren't jobs because there are. The problem is that the 5% that are currently unemployed are not qualified to be employed (at least the applicants I get). And the ones that might be worth employing are currently out of the hunt.

I do agree with much of what you have posted on this topic, but what you are describing is not nationwide. You have cities like yours with jobs and not enough qualified candidates. But you also have cities with not enough work to go around.

Teaching is an example of a field that varies greatly by location. Some areas they are in high demand and make good money. Other areas you have qualified teachers struggling to find work.

[corn18]

I'll pay people to move.

[StormRichards]

Advertise in the right markets and I am sure you would get some willing to do so. But not everyone would be willing to uproot for a job.

[corn18]

Advertise in the right markets and I am sure you would get some willing to do so. But not everyone would be willing to uproot for a job.

Hmmm... isn't that how it's supposed to work? I always thought if you couldn't find work where you are and there was work somewhere else that the correct answer to the question is to move to where the work is. Otherwise you're just whining. Maybe I have a warped perspective of a job (and income). 20 years in the navy and 13 moves makes me geographically mobile. And has really helped my career.

[disneysteve]

not everyone would be willing to uproot for a job.

Hmmm... isn't that how it's supposed to work?

This speaks to a couple of issues that we don't always hear a lot about, but I've read various articles about over the years.

1. Home ownership: There has been an incessant push for people to become homeowners. There are pros to that but one of the cons is that is makes people much more tied to the location. It isn't so easy to pick up and move when an attractive job opens up elsewhere.

2. Dual income households: As more and more women entered the workforce, the decision of where to live got more complicated. There wasn't just one spouse's situation to consider any more. In the past, if husband lost his job, the family was quicker to move to where he could get a new one. Today, if husband loses his job but wife has a great job that she doesn't want to give up, that decision isn't so simple. I know more than one couple that "solved" that dilemma by living apart for a significant amount of time. For example, my cousin had a great job in NYC but his wife was a successful physician in Connecticut. He got an apartment in the city and would go there on Monday and stay until Thursday, then work from home on Friday and be home for the weekend.

A third factor is "stuff". Most of us simply own way more possessions that ever before. That also makes moving a harder decision. When all of your worldy goods could be loaded into a rented U-Haul truck, moving was a lot easier. Today, a family of 4 needs a tractor trailer and more to clear out their house even if they are just moving across town. And again, this ties into point #1. When people were renters and knew they'd be moving every couple of years, they didn't accumulate as much stuff.

[StormRichards]

Hmmm... isn't that how it's supposed to work? I always thought if you couldn't find work where you are and there was work somewhere else that the correct answer to the question is to move to where the work is. Otherwise you're just whining. Maybe I have a warped perspective of a job (and income). 20 years in the navy and 13 moves makes me geographically mobile. And has really helped my career.

I think Steve responded to this very well, but I will add family ties to that list. Both of my parents came from very large families with all of the siblings staying relatively local. It was a great way to grow up, having close relationships with aunts, uncles and cousins.

Even if the things Steve mentioned (dual income, home ownership, etc.) weren't a factor, moving away from extended family is a big deal for many.

[bigdaddybus]

Foment a cultural change in our society that inspires, encourages, and incentivizes the incredible work ethic for which our country was once known and respected around the world (which is no longer the case, if you ask any of even our closest international partners).

How can a president do that? My focus would be on training & education.

- First & foremost: Shape public attention and opinion from the bully pulpit, and partner with Congress & state governors in advancing the necessary changes.
- Dramatically expand access to and affordability of community colleges and trade schools, paired with a focus on placement into internships and apprenticeships.
- Incentivize and subsidize colleges and universities to emphasize STEM-related degree programs, while reducing or eliminating funding for disciplines of little use to us as a nation... I love the arts, but they hold sparse few jobs and potential for most people. The elect few with true abilities will still pursue those areas, but as a nation, we don't need to support their dreams.
- Start them young! Develop programs for middle & high school students that will spark their interest in either those same STEM fields, or show them the opportunities available in the many specialized trades.
- Encourage (require?) the teaching of critical thinking! This develops us as a people, and prevents group think, mob rule, and a host of other societal flaws.
- Hold teachers & professors accountable (within reason) for the learning and performance of their students. Reward and extol excellence, and drum out the lazy, incompetent, and ineffective. Yes, testing would likely be a part of it, but in our data-driven society, there is a litany of additional ways to quantify student performance & achievement. This will require extensive cooperation with both teaching institutions and teachers themselves (and unfortunately their unions).

I see the problem as a societal one, a growing lackadaisical attitude that festers and takes root over time. The jobs are there right now! There is simply a dearth of skilled and willing people to perform them. If we can direct and shape the incredible yet latent ability of our youth at an early age, and support it through to adulthood, it would radically alter our country's persona, capability, capacity, and global standing.

I agree 100%, I work with 100's STEM majored offshore employees, and my employer has 1000's of them. We work with large US colleges influencing course curriculum, providing internships, etc and we still rely heavily on talent educated and brought in from outside the US.

I struggle with where to stand on this. I would like to see us providing more jobs for those already within our borders, but when we cant find the right talent I understand why we do what we do.

Govt support for US training for available US STEM jobs would be a good start.