I am getting violins made in China and Korea for about $50 each delivered, including case and bow, that are surprizingly well made, including inlaid purfling. (I am a professional violinist, so that is my *professional* opinion) You couldn't get an American luthier to do the same quality work for less than about 10 times that much money.
I am no longer working as a programmer (which I consider to be a skilled job) because I have been displaced by H1-B workers from India and China. These folks are very much well-skilled -- and willing to work for about 1/3rd of what I need to maintain my standard of living.
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Book reviews -- Salesmanship & related topics Howard Lee Harkness
Oh it great alright. I live in Victoria, pretty much the best area in Canada for living; wages are also some of the lowest. Things are changing though. It reminds me of the tech boom a few years back. If a company wasn't willing to pay well, the IT guys were jumping ship like lemmings. I see a lot of guys in cabinet making now doing just that, they're not putting up with shit wages. It's leaving a lot of companies with contractual obligations scrambling and now they're beginning to increase wages to keep their employees.
I would think that things will be good for another 10 years or so for us in the highly skilled trades category. Then all those who have just gotten out of high school will have caught up. At least that's what I'm hoping for.
I think the cabinet making jobs will be still in demand. It's still considered a low brow career move by parents. And kids these days are soft, having to lift sheets of MDF and melamine onto that "big scary saw" seems to scare most of them off. And ya know how fashion conscious kids are these days; they say the dust is hard on their skin and hair ;-). Kids with frizzy hair and dull skin are the new 21st century lepers. I see a great deal of kids looking at being electricians, machinists and so forth. There is also a significant increase in those enrolling in "fine furniture" making courses also. But those who have been in this long enough now there isn't much money in that field - lots of envy and respect from those who can't make high end furniture but no money.
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