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A construction worker can generally make more money in San Francisco than in suburban Fresno. But it won’t likely be enough more to make up the difference in th
by rushabh 13y ago
A construction worker can generally make more money in San Francisco than in suburban Fresno. But it won’t likely be enough more to make up the difference in the relative cost of living. Indeed, few working-class people earn enough money to live anywhere near San Francisco anymore, to the point that there is now a severe shortage of construction workers in the Bay Area.
The wages for construction workers will go up and the situation should correct itself automatically. Unfortunately, it will take some time for people to adjust their cultures so that construction workers are valued more socially - like people who write term sheets.
- taurath 13y agoOr the construction workers wages will go down, as they have, and they won't live anywhere near where they work.
- willvarfar 13y agoIsn't a lot of construction work done by poor migrant workers who live in dirty dorms provided by their contracting company? I've seen this in much of the rest of the world, even in places like Sweden where the workers are often from the other side of the Baltic. I'd be surprised if the US was very different in this regard.
- aestra 13y agoNo... Not around here at least... (Eastern US) Construction workers don't make a lot of money, but they aren't the poor migrant workers living in dirty dorms. They are the working class. My uncle was doing construction, then just decided to start his own construction business rather than work for someone else, and makes very very good money doing that. Every year the US Dept of Labor produces the Occupational Outlook Handbook which contains information about occupations in the US. Salaries, number employees, job outlook, etc. These are median salaries. Construction Laborers and Helpers $28,410 per year http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/construction-laborers-and-helpers.htm http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/construct... Now, if you get more specialized, you earn more: Roofers: $34,220 per year http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/roofers.htm http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/roofers.h... Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers, and Taper: $38,290 per year http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/drywall-and-ceiling-tile-installers-and-tapers.htm http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/drywall-a... Construction Equipment Operators: $39,460 per year http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/construction-equipment-operators.htm http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/construct...
- mynewwork 13y agoThen prepare to be surprised, it is nothing like that here in 99.999% of cases. The average american construction worker lives in a house or apartment comparable to any other working class / middle class person, owns a vehicle, etc.
- humanrebar 13y agoIn the American Southwest, much of the construction and landscaping work, especially odd jobs, is done by immigrants, usually from Latin America. Historically, construction has been seen as a union job, and that's probably still true in certain parts of the U.S. and in certain specializations. As far as housing arrangements, I'm not positive, but I do believe immigrants tend to pack in more people per square foot of an apartment. I have not heard of dorm-style arrangements run by employers.
- eldavido 13y agoPeople who write term sheets are using trust -- human capital -- accumulated over a 30-50 year career, to raise the funds to be able to deploy them in the first place. For better or worse, the reason any random person off the street can't raise enough capital to start a bank, VC fund, or other capital-intensive project is lack of trust. Goldman Sachs, Sequoia Capital, etc. have trust; you don't.