We in Australia, are well and truly locked up. People would also agree that COVID has been brought into Australia primarily by overseas travellers. Many citizens have not been allowed into or out of Australia on those grounds.
Footballers, movie stars and sportspeople aside, did you know there is another cohort (that are not being mentioned) allowed to travel in and out of Australia?
I have struggled for months to get tradies to come and work on my van and my house. In fact I really haven't made much progress. I can only say the little bit I did get done was substandard. One "carpenter" attacked my kitchen cupboard in the van with a hammer and completely wrecked it.
We continually get told that we need to import skilled workers into the country....and the reason that we are having so many problems is a shortage of workers. Employers can't get staff.
Yet, I learned today that my nephew had just returned from doing a job in USA. He's an electrician. Apparently, the business in USA paid very well to get this electrical work done. and his firm got permission for a dozen or so workers to go over there and do their job, while we in Australia are crying out for workers.
I have been wondering for sometime, where did all the tradies go? Now I know. Its not just a brain drain we have to worry about, its also a tradie drain.
At least I got my van fixed this week and can travel, just in time for lockup. lol.
Few years ago it was said that NZ trained 250 doctors every year and Australia "stole" 250 doctors from NZ every year. Similarly Australia was "stealing " huge numbers of trained nurses from third world countries leaving them in dire straits. What goes around comes around, but I doubt whether a few tradies here or there is a big deal
-- Edited by Tony LEE on Thursday 22nd of July 2021 08:15:04 PM
I wonder if it is only a few tradies. I needed someone to supply and fit an airconditioner. someone to paint the house and someone to lay new floorboards. No luck. Everyone was busy and not interested.
The company I took my van to to fix hail damage instead of taking four weeks took twenty weeks because they couldn't get staff. I was wondering if I would ever see it again. It took them a week to give a quote and get insurance approval. Then they were umming and arring as to when they could begin and then after a month or so they finally started.
Couldn't find anyone to do a bit of carpentry inside until this week except for one imported "handyman" who demonstrated that he knew nothing and caused further damage and made a simple job into an involved fix.
All in all van was unavailable for use from Nov 20 until this week and I'm still waiting on some parts.
Doing without the aircon, painting, new flooring and I'll wait to get the windscreen replaced until I get back.
I'm leaving as soon as lockup is over.
Also a lot of our Australian Doctors and Nurses are working in overseas third world countries. Think "Doctors without Borders" and other similar organisations.
Then we go and import medical staff from overseas. We seem to be losing our skilled workers and replacing them with workers that we have to train.
-- Edited by msg on Thursday 22nd of July 2021 10:11:13 PM
Seems people especially the younger & fitter have all been trained to be doctors & lawyers ! No one does manual work anymore !! It as just yesterday a 25 year old asked me if I knew anything about his Coaster ? He said he cannot get reverse! I asked how sloppy is your gear lever ? Sounds like bushes in the linkages ? He said how do you fix that ? Can you ? Sheesh !!
