5 ms·

I’ve been looking at all the jobs in my local area for a little while now. Despite a lot of construction, I have seen very few “hiring” signifiers anywhere. A

I’ve been looking at all the jobs in my local area for a little while now. Despite a lot of construction, I have seen very few “hiring” signifiers anywhere. A few management and PM roles get posted, usually wanting people with long established experience, but not many labor jobs. There’s a big construction project that’s been going on right next to me for a while. When I go past it, there’s a lot of yellow tape, and signs warning that it’s a felony to steal from the site, but no “we’re hiring” signs. Most of the jobs I see are bottom tier retail or restaurants positions, call center positions, some logistics jobs, various sales, medical jobs, and management. I do see some electrician work, but usually not in construction. So uh, where are these jobs?

MaxHoppersGhost 3y ago
Where do you live? These jobs are probably in places that are seeing big growth like Florida, Texas, etc.
- blamazon 3y ago
  Every major urban city has these jobs - population is not the only type of growth. Industrial, commercial, infrastructure projects demand just as much if not more of these jobs than residential.
- the_only_law 3y ago
  I’m in Florida
blamazon 3y ago
These jobs are not generally posted online because it is a fractious world of zillions of tiny business entities that aren't exactly computer or even record keeping centric. Those PM/management type jobs are posted by general contractors which are much more conglomerated and white-collar (not entirely) than the subcontractors they manage. At those levels, trade unions and trade schools facilitate a lot of the hiring, and the rest is often word of mouth and person to person relationships involved, independent contractors and small businesses and whatnot, often operated completely from one person's cell phone. You might go to a local general contractor and say, do you know anyone looking for help for role X or Y? Almost guaranteed they do. You also won't find hiring signs at large construction sites because it's a significant nuisance to have a stream of random people (usually unqualified) walking into a managed construction area looking for work. I know this from experience.
- bluGill 3y ago
  They are not able to interview at the construction site, and may need you to attend off site safety training before you are allowed in. They are hiring, but it isn't walk in and start working. Not everyone is hiring all the time either.
  - forgetfreeman 3y ago
    Really? Because it used to be you could walk through a subdivision going up with a toolbelt slung over your shoulder and you'd have a job by the 4th house site you stop at.
    - blamazon 3y ago
      You can probably still do that in lots of places in the residential single family rapid copy-paste development space (there's a reason why so many of those new homes are terrible quality these days) but unless you have trade qualifications, you're probably going to start with basic and grueling 'unskilled' general laborer work. Large or more technical construction projects (industrial, public infrastructure, roadways, government projects, warehouses, commercial, bespoke luxury homes, dense multi unit housing, office buildings, skyscrapers, sports arenas, etc) are a completely different ballgame - consider it the difference between college (or even high school) football and the NFL. Safety and liability are taken much more seriously because the stakes are higher, the scale larger. It is correct that you generally cannot even enter such a construction site without an offsite (although usually adjacent) training operated by the general contractor, (who manages site liability) in like an office trailer. You can still walk into that office trailer (after knocking or ringing a doorbell, usually) and ask the general contractor if they know anyone hiring for role X or Y, etc. This is somewhat okay because during construction phase of a project, GCs usually operate on an interrupt-based process of various and numerous onsite folks walking into their trailer needing this or that. But odds are pretty good they'll quickly tell you to get lost if you're not showing them some sort of valued trade qualifications or know them personally in some way. If you have those qualifications, usually your phone is already ringing off the hook (see above article) and you don't have to walk into random construction sites, hence why so many of the people that do have no qualifications. Another way to get your foot in the door is to go to a temporary staffing agency like PeopleReady and tell them you want such a construction site job. It will be grueling 'unskilled' general labor. Then you can get the training to get on the site, and possibly make a connection for future work. (Does not happen successfully often, except for the most exceptional and lucky temp workers)
pengaru 3y ago
I think you usually join a local union serving a specific subset of construction. Filling jobs is a major part of what the union does for you. Ages ago my dad worked concrete construction back in IL. I was young and didn't pay much attention, but I recall him referring to "the hall" as where he'd go to find work. Google search turned up this: https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/employees/hiring-halls https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/em...
TimedToasts 3y ago
I still listen to commercial radio and my 'hard rock' local radio station runs ads for this stuff all the time. Carpenters, hvac, and sheet rock are what I remember but I do my best to tune commercials out, sorry. ;) Lots of drivers also wanted, trucking and short haul? maybe? I admit to not remembering my terms. Also bailbonds, divorce lawyers who specialize in men's cases, and requests emailed in from the local prison.

MaxHoppersGhost 3y ago

Where do you live? These jobs are probably in places that are seeing big growth like Florida, Texas, etc.

blamazon 3y ago
Every major urban city has these jobs - population is not the only type of growth. Industrial, commercial, infrastructure projects demand just as much if not more of these jobs than residential.
the_only_law 3y ago
I’m in Florida

blamazon 3y ago

These jobs are not generally posted online because it is a fractious world of zillions of tiny business entities that aren't exactly computer or even record keeping centric. Those PM/management type jobs are posted by general contractors which are much more conglomerated and white-collar (not entirely) than the subcontractors they manage. At those levels, trade unions and trade schools facilitate a lot of the hiring, and the rest is often word of mouth and person to person relationships involved, independent contractors and small businesses and whatnot, often operated completely from one person's cell phone. You might go to a local general contractor and say, do you know anyone looking for help for role X or Y? Almost guaranteed they do. You also won't find hiring signs at large construction sites because it's a significant nuisance to have a stream of random people (usually unqualified) walking into a managed construction area looking for work. I know this from experience.

bluGill 3y ago
They are not able to interview at the construction site, and may need you to attend off site safety training before you are allowed in. They are hiring, but it isn't walk in and start working. Not everyone is hiring all the time either.
- forgetfreeman 3y ago
  Really? Because it used to be you could walk through a subdivision going up with a toolbelt slung over your shoulder and you'd have a job by the 4th house site you stop at.
  - blamazon 3y ago
    You can probably still do that in lots of places in the residential single family rapid copy-paste development space (there's a reason why so many of those new homes are terrible quality these days) but unless you have trade qualifications, you're probably going to start with basic and grueling 'unskilled' general laborer work. Large or more technical construction projects (industrial, public infrastructure, roadways, government projects, warehouses, commercial, bespoke luxury homes, dense multi unit housing, office buildings, skyscrapers, sports arenas, etc) are a completely different ballgame - consider it the difference between college (or even high school) football and the NFL. Safety and liability are taken much more seriously because the stakes are higher, the scale larger. It is correct that you generally cannot even enter such a construction site without an offsite (although usually adjacent) training operated by the general contractor, (who manages site liability) in like an office trailer. You can still walk into that office trailer (after knocking or ringing a doorbell, usually) and ask the general contractor if they know anyone hiring for role X or Y, etc. This is somewhat okay because during construction phase of a project, GCs usually operate on an interrupt-based process of various and numerous onsite folks walking into their trailer needing this or that. But odds are pretty good they'll quickly tell you to get lost if you're not showing them some sort of valued trade qualifications or know them personally in some way. If you have those qualifications, usually your phone is already ringing off the hook (see above article) and you don't have to walk into random construction sites, hence why so many of the people that do have no qualifications. Another way to get your foot in the door is to go to a temporary staffing agency like PeopleReady and tell them you want such a construction site job. It will be grueling 'unskilled' general labor. Then you can get the training to get on the site, and possibly make a connection for future work. (Does not happen successfully often, except for the most exceptional and lucky temp workers)

pengaru 3y ago

I think you usually join a local union serving a specific subset of construction. Filling jobs is a major part of what the union does for you. Ages ago my dad worked concrete construction back in IL. I was young and didn't pay much attention, but I recall him referring to "the hall" as where he'd go to find work. Google search turned up this: https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/employees/hiring-halls https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/em...

TimedToasts 3y ago

I still listen to commercial radio and my 'hard rock' local radio station runs ads for this stuff all the time. Carpenters, hvac, and sheet rock are what I remember but I do my best to tune commercials out, sorry. ;) Lots of drivers also wanted, trucking and short haul? maybe? I admit to not remembering my terms. Also bailbonds, divorce lawyers who specialize in men's cases, and requests emailed in from the local prison.