USA workers for Australia

[zonta223]

Been numerous stories on the radio, tv and newspapers about our government (Australian) making it easier for companies here to employ American steel workers (not workers making steel but welders, riggers, boilermakers etc) on short term (1 or 2 year) contracts to help our shortage of skilled workers on the massive mining projects now underway in remote parts of Australia.
Normal working hours are 2 weeks on 1 week off........normal pay $150,000 to $200,000 a year.
Now have been following the fall in unemployment in the USA over about the last 7 months.
My question ......do you think Australian companies will have much success gaining American workers? or is the unemployment still really bad for skilled workers in the USA.?

 

[jonyyuma]

This sounds like the past rush to send workers to Saudia Arabia?Some might do it soon?? The pipeline jobs seem to be going pretty good here right now due to the Fracking of nat. gas..??

 

[RoyJackson]

There were a lot of guys that went to Alaska when the pipeline was being built. Those weather conditions were probably worse then the remote parts of Australia...
So, I can see the more adventurous (unmarried and no kids) type guys heading down under.

 

[dmccarty]

Been numerous stories on the radio, tv and newspapers about our government (Australian) making it easier for companies here to employ American steel workers (not workers making steel but welders, riggers, boilermakers etc) on short term (1 or 2 year) contracts to help our shortage of skilled workers on the massive mining projects now underway in remote parts of Australia.
Normal working hours are 2 weeks on 1 week off........normal pay $150,000 to $200,000 a year.
Now have been following the fall in unemployment in the USA over about the last 7 months.
My question ......do you think Australian companies will have much success gaining American workers? or is the unemployment still really bad for skilled workers in the USA.?

I think the unmarried and/or childless would go for the work. When I was younger I seriously thought about trying to get a job on a missile test range in the Pacific. The money was excellent and I sure would not have a chance to spend it. :laughing: In the end I got a local job but I really thought hard about the overseas job.

I know of a guy who is working in the Sinai for good money and he has been doing it for years. I would NOT take that job.

Later,
Dan

 

[jinman]

From my time in WA, I'd say there's likely to be a language barrier.:laughing:

Actually, I think Australia has a history of allowing temporary workers when the need arises. It helps Australia and it helps people with skills who need work. The beauty of Australia is that it's a bit easier to control borders there than in many countries.:thumbsup:

 

[Pete Judd]

I have a feeling, that the jobs are at the big coal mines. They are located mostly out in the middle of nowhere, and are fly in fly out. Rents in the mine towns can be as much as 2-3k $ per week. Would do a lot more do research.

I have been down under many times, 3 weeks each time and traveled over that country more than most of the citizens. Loved it when the exchange rate was good. It was way cheaper to vacation there than here in the late 90's and early 2000's. Our US dollar is in the toilet right now, I can still get Biz class tickets for 40 bucks a seat out of Seattle with the freq flyer miles, but cant afford it when I get there.

The next vacation will be to So Africa, as the US dollar goes much farther there.

 

[mjarrels]

My ideal job would be working in Diego Garcia for a contractor or U. S. Navy.

mark

 

[SPIKER]

Actually the USA also is lacking in SKILLED TRADES people. The younger generation are all after facebook and text messages & 90% dont want to work they want to set at home and play video games on their phones or big screen TVs mommy & daddy bought...

I would not mind working down under, or going back to GUAM for a few years...

Was in GUAM in AF with a broken B1B (My Hyd. System) and everyone else left and went Down Under to team up with the Aussies. after 2nd day Desert Storm kicked off they all flew to Diego Garcia and spent next 120+ days there. I spent duration of the ACTIVE (3.+weeks) war in Guam snorkeling... then back to base Wichita Ks (McConnell AFB) where it became the KC135 Depot Repair for all war effort. 60% of my shop was in Diego so I was on 12 hr shifts 7 days a week until they got back...

Mark

 

[deerseeker001]

i was stationed at the northwest cape,ex mouth Australia back in 1968-1968.navel communication station.i married a women i met there.i loved the fishing there.

 

[rsewill]

Lots of work in western North Dakota. If my wife would let me, I would go. $80k for a truck driver.

 

[300UGUY]

Actually the USA also is lacking in SKILLED TRADES people. The younger generation are all after facebook and text messages & 90% dont want to work they want to set at home and play video games on their phones or big screen TVs mommy & daddy bought...

I would not mind working down under, or going back to GUAM for a few years...

Was in GUAM in AF with a broken B1B (My Hyd. System) and everyone else left and went Down Under to team up with the Aussies. after 2nd day Desert Storm kicked off they all flew to Diego Garcia and spent next 120+ days there. I spent duration of the ACTIVE (3.+weeks) war in Guam snorkeling... then back to base Wichita Ks (McConnell AFB) where it became the KC135 Depot Repair for all war effort. 60% of my shop was in Diego so I was on 12 hr shifts 7 days a week until they got back...

Mark

I think the younger, unmarried guys might go. As far as the USA lacking skilled workers, I'd say yes and no. Lots of older guys around, but I haven't seen an apprentice in years. We just aren't training anybody. Most companies want somebody else to do the training, and the local school systems can't afford to set up training programs, on their own. Our local intermediate school district handles vocational training, for the whole county, and according to to the local paper, has a budget of 600K. For over 6K students. That's almost nothing. I wouldn't fault the kids, there aren't many programs out there.

 

[Kays Supply]

The last Con Ed class I went to for my Plumbing lisc. the numbers showed that the state of Illinois is loosing plumbers. There are less coming in than retiring. That is the first time the numbers have went that way since I started 35 yr ago.

 

[kenmac]

The last Con Ed class I went to for my Plumbing lisc. the numbers showed that the state of Illinois is loosing plumbers. There are less coming in than retiring. That is the first time the numbers have went that way since I started 35 yr ago.

I paid my sons to help me on some Plumbing /HVAC jobs.. They tell me they aren't intrested in learning the trade. They say The work is too hard:confused2:. I told them it's good to learn even if you don't go into the trade just to be able to repair or install your own HVAC / Plumbing.. They say they would rather hire someone.. It's beyond me !!!

 

[Kays Supply]

I know what you mean. I have two son's. Both picked other jobs. I am proud to say that one has his own HVAC business and the other is on two different SWAT teams. But, I couldn't get either to stick it out for the Apprenticeship to be a plumber.

 

[Pete Judd]

I sat next to the head of the pipe fitters union in a plane about 10 years ago, and he was telling me that they were having a very hard time attracting apprentices. To bad as I understand that it is a very good paying trade, with steady work and pipe fitters always in demand.

 

[kenmac]

Well,I'm going to close it down in about 5 more yrs.The HVAC trade is forever changing (equipment & refrigerant). I'm getting too old to crawl under houses to make sure the jobs are installed correctly & going to school ever so often for the changing HVAC equipment. I remember long ago when all you needed was a set of gauges for the cooling or HP and a match for a gas furnace or wh. Now, you need (on some equipment) a computer to link up with the system. I'm getting old

 

[Kays Supply]

I'm in the same boat, but have too many years left to throw in the towel. I have tried to catchup, but the schools I have looked at are more interested in teaching you how to sell the new stuff than how to fix it. The new boilers and waterheaters are as complicated as TVs were 20 years ago.

 

[Richard]

I'd consider going (other than me having a mismatched skillset )

When I was in my low 20's (don't recall if I was still in college or done). I was visiting my mother in Florida.

She said she heard of a guy who was trying to recruit workers to go to Austrailia to help build a highway from somewhere to somewhere. Seems it was a major project.

Being adventureous & young, I was game to find out more (by the time I was 23 I'd been to Europe twice & South America once)

Went to go talk to the guy and don't remember much of the conversation. Job was for a year & blah blah blah....

Something about it didn't totally appeal to me so we left and I was going to deliberate it.

Cutting to the chase, this guy was scamming people. Before you could get the job, you had to go through an in depth background check or something like that. Cost was maybe $500 or $1,000 (or was it $5,000???)

Been too many trips around the moon to remember.... what I do recall is mom calling me one day asking if I remembered this guy as he had just been arrested for fraud. ( :laughing: to him)

Kind of bummed me out though as aside from what would have been hard work, it would have been an adventure. (perhaps a bad one )