turning grass into beef said:
Same thing here in Saskatchewan, Canada. If you want to work and are reliable you can get a job with a good wage, especially in any of the trades involved with construction. Everyone I talk to, that owns a business, would be happy to find people that are hard workers and reliable, they don't care if you have the skills, they would be glad to train you. I know a dry wall contractor that is paying his men $44.00/hour.
I agree with this. It is not hard to find good employment here in Southern Saskatchewan either. I was talking with a young guy a few days ago, who works driving a truck for a Gravel and Sand company here. He told me he made $120,000 last year. One of my friends owns a Plumbing business and he has gone from 8 employees 5 years ago to 32 workers today, and he tells me they can't keep up with the work and have to turn down new work on a daily basis.He has been bringing workers in from Britain because he can't find enough here. I hear ads on the radio for electricians needed for a potash mine expansion. The radio ad says they are looking for 600 electricians and the starting wage is $120,000 annually, with full medical benefits and 6 weeks of holidays each year from year 1. In my home town I would guess that there are help wanted signs in the windows of at least half the businesses. I have a friend who started selling real estate here 9 years ago. He recently told me that home prices have increased $250,000 in the 9 yars he has been selling. A home that sold for $50,000 9 years ago ( that had been properly maintained) would sell today for $300,000. Likewise, a home that sold for $250,000 9 years ago would bring $500,000 or more today.
There is so much new building going on that it is incredibly hard to find anyone to do repair work. I was 6 years finding someone to replace the roof on our barn, and I was about to give up trying when I finally got the job done. The economy here is booming, which is a good thing, but it does bring a new set of problems. If you can find a good farm worker, you should consider yourself very fortunate and you better be willing to pay them properly, or they will move on. It is virtually impossible to even find a highs school kid to come and help part time getting cattle ready for a show or sale. You end up doing it all yourself. They all have part time jobs it seems.