Economy on the ground where you live-how is it?

I'm wondering what the real deal is on the economy. I know people in what you would call "leading" industries and they are fairly busy if not very busy. Heck, one is so busy they are actually worried their customers (steel manufacturers) are filling their supply chain and a fall will come. In the last week I received 2 unsolicited calls from recruiters and I have not sent a resume out in 6 months, not even cursory looking. A friend said he got three recruiter calls, though he was on the market the past few months.

But there are still reports that total employment has barely budged, with only just over 1,000 new jobs per state last month after taking out the Verizon strike.

So, what is the opinion of the economy where you are? On the ground, not in the news only.

You have it right there in the first sentence... The leading American industries are doing well by all accounts. It's the stuff on the edges which can overseas that isn't going so well....

Up here, things are rocking along in the IT world... I also keep getting recruiters want me for jobs I'm well qualified for, but have no interest in pursuing as my current role exceeds expectations.

Here in Minneapolis, people are upbeat, and most local businesses are rebounding very well. 3m, Target, and Cargill are ramping up hiring, and are recruiting like crazy at my school. But Best buy is facing a hell of a structural shift, and Ford is following through on a long-planned plant closure. The BB and Ford issues would have occurred in any economy, and the net is still trending to recovery locally.

Quote: rdw4potus

Here in Minneapolis, people are upbeat, and most local businesses are rebounding very well. 3m, Target, and Cargill are ramping up hiring, and are recruiting like crazy at my school. But Best buy is facing a hell of a structural shift, and Ford is following through on a long-planned plant closure. The BB and Ford issues would have occurred in any economy, and the net is still trending to recovery locally.

Best Buy has become the showroom for amazon.com. I prefer BB as in most cases it is easier than waiting. But I cannot stand the nonsense with the extended warranty sales. One salesman actually was rude saying "I know you don't want to buy extra stuff, but" after I told him "NO" to any additional warranties. (My mother was thinking about it.) Then when we got home we noticed he put a service plan on anyhow! I understand these things are super-profit for BB and they are where the salesperson turns from a minimum-wage lump to earning real cash, but enough already. Stuff does not break like it used to.

I have heard several places that the unemployment rate for college grads is 4.5%?

Unemployment exceeds 10% in Grand junction, Colorado. Many have left town for jobs elsewhere. Rents are up and medical care is pitiful!

Quote: AZDuffman

Best Buy has become the showroom for amazon.com. I prefer BB as in most cases it is easier than waiting. But I cannot stand the nonsense with the extended warranty sales. One salesman actually was rude saying "I know you don't want to buy extra stuff, but" after I told him "NO" to any additional warranties. (My mother was thinking about it.) Then when we got home we noticed he put a service plan on anyhow! I understand these things are super-profit for BB and they are where the salesperson turns from a minimum-wage lump to earning real cash, but enough already. Stuff does not break like it used to.

I have heard several places that the unemployment rate for college grads is 4.5%?

BB pays about $10/hr base, but the warranty sales are the only commissioned sales for most employees.

I'm with you on not waiting, plus I get to support a (giant) local company by buying in-store.

As a rule of thumb, the unemployment rate for college grads is half the total unemployment rate. So 4.5% should be pretty close.

My brother drives a semi for one of the three
largest companies in the country. He tells me
they're desperate for over the road drivers and
can't find them. There are 10's of thousands
of truck driving jobs, and nobody is stepping
up. These are 45k to 60k jobs and nobody
wants them. They don't want to be away from
their families and their benefits haven't run out
yet. On the lower end, where the uneducated
stupid people dwell, there are no jobs. A local
gas station needed a worker for 2nd shift and
put an ad in the paper. It came out Sunday and
by Tue afternoon he had to cut off the applications
at 50. He said 3 years ago nobody would have
applied. Of the 50 who applied, maybe 10 of
them were hireable, he said. The rest either
had zero experience, a horrible credit rating,
or were ding dongs. And yes, all potential
employers look at your credit now, even gas
stations.

Quote: EvenBob

My brother drives a semi for one of the three
largest companies in the country. He tells me
they're desperate for over the road drivers and
can't find them. There are 10's of thousands
of truck driving jobs, and nobody is stepping
up. These are 45k to 60k jobs and nobody
wants them.

I knew a guy who went to truck driver school. I thought those guys get paid about 30 cents per mile, and they have to buy their own rigs and pay for their own gas. With rising gas prices and $200,000 for a truck, is it sooooo surprising?

Quote: zippyboy

With rising gas prices and $200,000 for a truck, is it sooooo surprising?

The gas crisis in 2008 put thousands of independents
out of business and the big firms got the business. Now
they need drivers. In North Dakota they are screaming
for drivers with hazmat drivers licenses. Its big money
hauling the oil from the wells to the refineries.

Buffalo area here. I'm in the casino biz, and we're still open. I'm definately not to the point of hitting the want-ads because of worry, but attendance is sure down. We used to get 15-20 buses from neighboring states, now we get 2-3, if any at all.

My cousin's in the pool-biz. He's from working 14hrs a day, 6 days a week, 8 months a year down to actually being home sometimes. I think they even expanded into light landscaping just to give themselves more options for work.

Got a buddy in IT. Seems stable and always has a project to do. I don't think he's worried a bit.

Most of my family are State employees. Big shuffling going on there, a lot of reconfiguring due to State budget problems. Cutting OT, cutting FT positions, a reorginization of houses, they're all either worried or pissed right off.

I see a lot more vacant buildings too. I wouldn't say it's ghost-town-ish, but in the past a business would move and another would fill it in. Now it seems a place goes out of business and the building sits for at least a year plus. Not doomsday, but a sign of the times.

Quote: EvenBob

Its big money
hauling the oil from the wells to the refineries.

That isn't piped? Do you know if there's a reason that they truck it?

Quote: rdw4potus

That isn't piped? Do you know if there's a reason that they truck it?

Because pipelines are extraordinarily expensive
and take years to lay.

Quote: EvenBob

Because pipelines are extraordinarily expensive
and take years to lay.

Fair point. I guess I just assumed that there were oil pipelines going to the refineries because there are natural gas gathering pipelines going to the processing plants leading into Williston Basin's system in MT and ND.

Quote: rdw4potus

Fair point. I guess I just assumed that there were oil pipelines going to the refineries because there are natural gas gathering pipelines going to the processing plants leading into Williston Basin's system in MT and ND.

There aren't that many distilleries in this country.
I think the closest one is in Chicago. They haven't
built a new one since the 70's.

Quote: EvenBob

There aren't that many distilleries in this country.
I think the closest one is in Chicago. They haven't
built a new one since the 70's.

There's one in Mandan, and a handful in Montana. Those are all quite small. There's a very large refinery here in MN just south of Saint Paul. It's owned by Koch, doing business as Flint Hills Resources.

Minn is closer than Chicago, I'll bet thats where they go.

Quote: rdw4potus

Fair point. I guess I just assumed that there were oil pipelines going to the refineries because there are natural gas gathering pipelines going to the processing plants leading into Williston Basin's system in MT and ND.

Well, two other things come into play on hauling oil/gas. Yes, oil will get piped in or by train. But the finished product then needs to go to all those individual gas stations. Second, ehtanol cannot travel via pipeline as it picks up water like a magnet.

I tried truck driving, couldn't handle the driving part. But the people applying, well, some were lumps like you would not believe. An intelligent 10-20% but just as many that I wondered how they remembered to breathe. A shame because it is a good job you need some skill to do. But the OTR part is a killer for some. One guy quit working for me and came back (or tried to) as his wife was POed because he was on the road 1 or two nights a week. he had a route, got it as a new hire. Told her, "honey, this is how it will be, izzit OK for me to take the job?" Sure enough, just 2-3 months later she gave him hell for being away so much. He went back to a job paying less.

We have a shortage of workers for many skilled jobs in the USA. What I wish we could do is pair up the "we will even train the right person" with people with the qualifications. First step is probably geting rid of the 99 weeks of paid vacation we give people not to work now and get it back to the traditional 26.

Quote: AZDuffman

Sure enough, just 2-3 months later she gave him hell for being away so much. He went back to a job paying less.

My brother says the drivers are always bitching about
how much they're wive complain about them being
away from home. My brothers home about 6-7
days a month, but he's not married. The wives have
no problem spending the money, thats the drivers
biggest complaint. Its all direct deposit now, they never
see any of the good money they make.

Quote: AZDuffman

Well, two other things come into play on hauling oil/gas. Yes, oil will get piped in or by train. But the finished product then needs to go to all those individual gas stations. Second, ehtanol cannot travel via pipeline as it picks up water like a magnet.

Good points. As I understand it, both the ethanol and the proprietary additives (Chevron's Techron, et al) are blended in at the station. I was just surprised to hear that the production area in ND didn't have a set of gathering system pipes for oil like it does for natural gas. I guess the fact that the oil refining facilities are so much farther away probably changes the economics. Plus, oil doesn't just mix into the air if it isn't contained, I suppose.

Quote: rdw4potus

Good points. As I understand it, both the ethanol and the proprietary additives (Chevron's Techron, et al) are blended in at the station. I was just surprised to hear that the production area in ND didn't have a set of gathering system pipes for oil like it does for natural gas. I guess the fact that the oil refining facilities are so much farther away probably changes the economics. Plus, oil doesn't just mix into the air if it isn't contained, I suppose.

I have heard the additives are mixed at the station, and in fact the same refinery might send a load to ExxonMobil and BP on the same day, same stuff until the additives go in. The ethanol I don't know, but I do remember a station in AZ (and other places for that matter) dropping the price the last few days before winter/summer blend change. Refineries might add ethanol at the refinery because you always hear about how they run short around the switch of blends.

I think that there are several pipelines going to regional terminals. A big one from LA to the northeast and one from CA to AZ to name two, the later once had to close shortly and caused spot shortages in AZ. ND might still be remote enough that rail makes more sense.

Quote: AZDuffman

I think that there are several pipelines going to regional terminals. A big one from LA to the northeast and one from CA to AZ to name two, the later once had to close shortly and caused spot shortages in AZ. ND might still be remote enough that rail makes more sense.

Yep The Kinder Morgan pipeline that actually carried unleaded gasoline ruptured in Tucson in 2002 or 2003. I lived in the Phx area then. People behaved like f-ing idiots hoarding gas as soon as they heard about it and some of the stations raised the prices. The funny thing was all you had to do was drive outside Maricopa County and there was plenty of cheap gas to be had as they aren't required to use the special valley blend.

Regarding the economy Chicago is a mixed bag, some manufacturing is good I think. I live in a white collar area and I cant think of anyone I know that is unemployed or even underemployed. Restaurants are pretty full, Starbucks is busy and the new Rivers casino is jammed.