Gulf Coast Region/ Katrina-damaged areas

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peter d

peter d

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New England
I was just wondering if there is a strong demand for electricians there now that rebuilding is taking place.


Any and all information is appreciated. :)
 
peter d said:
I was just wondering if there is a strong demand for electricians there now that rebuilding is taking place.


Any and all information is appreciated. :)
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My step son who has worked for us for 3 years decided he wanted to go to New Orleans and work. A contractor promised him $20 an hour and here since he was not licensed he makes $12. He lasted 2 weeks and told me even though there was alot of destruction that the work had not started yet. Seems there was alot of red tape. The contractor promised the world but really did not deliver.
 
There is lots of work to be done but there are more and more electricians popping out of the wood work everyday. Before the storm there were only a handful of electrical contractors in the phone book now there are hundreds it seems like. I think the market is starting to level out with the supply catching up to the demand.
 
huge shortage

huge shortage

There is a huge shortage of QUALIFIED electricians here.
Problem is the applicants brag about what they have done and can not do once on the job without someone holding their hand. And they want top dollar. It's true the boom has not started yet, but the back log of work is huge due to the shortage.
I've worked in NO for over 25 yrs in the trade.
If you are a QUALIFIED electrician there is plenty of work here and everyone is hiring. You just have to put your skills where your mouth is. I will say that housing is a problem.
 
John, I agree with you 10% on the qualified comment. Now in Texas where they grandfathered a huge amount of journeyman electricians they all want top pay. In this area it used to be $16.00 to $22.00 per hour. Now that the state of Texas gave away Christmas gifts it has actually dropped the pay rate a few dollars an hour. This is because they flooded the market with licensed electricians. I personally know of a few who do not have a clue on being a true electrician.

When I hire one out, I expect not to have to run a day care service for someone who was too lazy or not competent enough to become qualified. Alot of them are basic pipe runners who can wire a building as long as you show them what size pipe, where to run it and what size wire to pull.

I know more than a few who cannot do things like wire a 4 way switch, wire a start-stop button with aux contacts or who know what a true isolated ground system is.

As far as Texas goes it is going to take a while to weed out the people who are not polished.
 
I hired a guy who said he had 4 years experience with a bucket of tools that made even me jealous.

My first sign should a been, when I had to show him the proper way to cut out drywall for a popin box.
But I was still mesmorized by his impressive tools.

But when he asked me to explain what a dedicated circuit was I offered him a cut in pay or to leave.
 
77401 said:
But when he asked me to explain what a dedicated circuit was I offered him a cut in pay or to leave.
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That one is easy !! A dedicated circuit is a circuit that is installed by a dedicated employee. Next question please.
 
dduffee260 said:
John, I agree with you 10% on the qualified comment. QUOTE]

I just noticed the 10% comment. Why didn't you guys catch that ? What about the other 90% I didn't agree on? I don't think spell check would have helped there.
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