This has been a problem for a long time. I am so thankful that I sold my business and retired. Even with good employees, their problems become your problems in the long run.

I’m 28. Went to trade school got two machine tool degrees. I work at a mom and pop shop every day from 7-3:30 M-F and make $30 an hour.

It's hard to hire people to do manual labor for 15 $18 an hour.
When places like McDonald's and Walmart are starting out at 12 and $16 an hour.

We start laborers at $24 just to stand around and hangout most of the time and it's a constant revolving door. Lots of good benefits and perks and honesty, I don't see much change since they upped the pay a lot more.

Our average is around $40 an hour and can make as much as $75 and still can’t get help.

What an amazes me the most is folks doing the same thing acting like they want a job and then decide to stay where they are making half as much. One guy came looking and I offered him $45 an hour ( which is misleading cause it’s in some cases kind of on a flat rate scale and you can get paid 2-3 hours in some instances for 1 worked) and he decided to stay where he was making $20 a clock hour cause he’d been the 5 years and didn’t wanna change

People are extra choosy because of past experiences or are not seeing reward vs effort in a new job. No I haven't switched to Democrat and yes people today are lazy terrible horrible sobs. If you don't think you would like working at a place why would you hire in? We can blame the government the super rich or whatever but the fact remains no matter how much per hour folks are not going to work unhappily. Common sense is not common anymore.

This concerns me deeply. I hear it from my customers all the time about not being able to find an actual machinist. Not a CNC operator that claims to be a machinist. Most of the actual machinist that I know are 40+ years old and when they are gone there will be no one to replace them.

My BIL is a Machinist, can do just about anything. But he's scared to move jobs and doesn't make squat where he is.

I don't think it matters how much your willing to pay I think the younger generation is just lazy and don't want to work

With few exceptions, this is it. Too many have been brainwashed to thinking they can't work for anything short of a living wage. The situation was bad already but during Covid it got worse w' folks being paid to sit at home.

I’m in my late 30’s. I think a lot more people, especially folks younger than me are really thinking about the value of time vs the value of money. Covid really exacerbated this. It seems a good starting wage is all fine and dandy but if I’m working 60+hrs a week and never see my family or have time for me, what value is $150k a year at 30 years old or whatever age for that matter. Now, I do agree simply getting people to show up and work is one thing, but when you expect significant overtime week in and week out, where is the joy of work? Or what are you working for? At the end of the day, I’ll support my family to provide for the basic needs. If I’m spending more time with my co-worker than my wife and kids just so they can have luxurious of life then I need to prioritize some things in life.

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If he was up in NA , he could quit today and be on a new job by Monday. And depending on skill be making serious $.

You can give some of these CNC kids a part or print and say go make it on the Bridgeport or manual lathe and they'd be lost as a goose.

I had the same problem when I had my Lawncare and landscaping business. I sold the business and started another business and do stuff right by myself. You can’t depend on anyone at all now. My lead guy running my Lawncare stuff I was paying him 1000-1200 a week and he quit me to go work at the piggly wiggle making 250 a week. Said I work to much and he just needed enough money to pay for his phone a buy a little gas. When I was young I wouldve killed to be making that money.

You may be surprised at how many of them can't do it with a CNC or a manual either. We hired a guy a while back with a 2 year degree in machine technology that couldn't true a vice. He told me that they didn't work much with CNCs at school. I said, "Ok, pretend this is a manual mill." I made sure he knew how to operate the handwheel encoder and he still just stood there looking like Biden trying to find his way off stage. Couldn't sharpen a drill, didn't know what the Cartesian Coordinate system is, had no idea about feeds and speeds, called an endmill a drill, I could go on and on. I had him go fetch a drill chuck for a cat 40 mill. I told him that it's on the table in front of that big bridge mill, so he went over to a table by a CNC lathe to look for it. I told him I knew how he could save us both a lot of time.

How would we go about fixing this problem ? The problem I see most often is instead of a raise, the best employees are usually rewarded with doing their job and 2-3 other peoples jobs as well . (It happens everywhere ,)

This is the kind of part time job I want when I retire in a few years. I may know my way around a tractor!!!

Same here can't find anyone who does quality work. Most of the new ones are lazy and sloppy and can't stay off their phones. Having a hell of a time finding decent help. I guess they all mooch off their parents or the government.

PM to you metalmuncher