AT&T CEO says hard to find skilled U.S. workers

[zstyles]

The head of the top U.S. phone company AT&T Inc (T.N) said on Wednesday it was having trouble finding enough skilled workers to fill all the 5,000 customer service jobs it promised to return to the United States from India.

I wonder if anyone from Tulsa is talking to this company..after the Worldcom and Wiltel fallout..I am sure that SOMONE (CALLING MAYOR TAYLOR) would be reaching out to fill some OFFICE SPACE as well as JOBS ....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080327/tc_nm/att_workforce_dc

[sgrizzle]

AT&T already has a call center here.

The real problem I've seen with AT&T's call center is that they are union. They were on the verge of losing their contract with AT&T (and thus their jobs) just a few weeks ago. At that call center you not only get written up for being late to work, but also for being early. If a customer keeps you on the phone through part of your lunch break, you get in trouble for that to, and you still have to end your break at the previously scheduled time. It's stupid.

[Conan71]

Most call centers pay less than $12 an hour.  Hardly quality jobs.

[custosnox]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

AT&T already has a call center here.

The real problem I've seen with AT&T's call center is that they are union. They were on the verge of losing their contract with AT&T (and thus their jobs) just a few weeks ago. At that call center you not only get written up for being late to work, but also for being early. If a customer keeps you on the phone through part of your lunch break, you get in trouble for that to, and you still have to end your break at the previously scheduled time. It's stupid.

That sounds a lot like my stint at WEST doing customer service for DirecTv (before they built their new center).  Some of the most idiotic rules I've ever seen as far as breaks and what not.

[Kashmir]

Geezz, and I thought my high school gig @ the Mazzio's Call Center was bad.[xx(]

[TUalum0982]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Most call centers pay less than $12 an hour.  Hardly quality jobs.

not trying to be an ***, but he didn't mention in that anywhere in that article about being quality jobs, he said, they just can't find "skilled people" to fill those positions. And I quote from the article  "Stephenson said he is especially distressed that in some U.S. communities and among certain groups, the high school dropout rate is as high as 50 percent.

"If I had a business that half the product we turned out was defective or you couldn't put into the marketplace, I would shut that business down," he said.


I see what he is saying, why would you want to employ someone (albeit a call center) if they didn't even graduate high school?

[Gaspar]

Darn!  I'm going to miss their call center in India.  I always enjoyed talking to "Roger", "James", and "Phil" when I called.

They were very polite and I usually had my problem remedied after only an hour or two of ear-numbing conversation, followed up with at least ten minutes of "Are you happy with the service I have provided?" questions.

[cannon_fodder]

That of course ignores the fact that it is hard to finder workers in Tulsa.  Let alone skilled workers.  Let alone skilled workers that are also good employees.

4.5% unemployment.  We need jobs that attract people - not jobs that just fill space.

[guido911]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

That of course ignores the fact that it is hard to finder workers in Tulsa.  Let alone skilled workers.  Let alone skilled workers that are also good employees.

4.5% unemployment.  We need jobs that attract people - not jobs that just fill space.

Are you hiring?[]

[cannon_fodder]

Actually, yes.  We have been looking for 2 new people for positions that will make well above the median family income for Tulsa plus company funded health, dental, and full retirement benefits.  Finding 2 qualified people is hard, finding 2 that are qualified AND good employees is proving very difficult.  With a strong industrial labor market many of the vocations in high demand can view every job as a pass through and walk whenever they want to.

The company next to us is looking for welders who will make a good living. DMI is higher 175 techs who should do pretty well.  The industrial sector in Tulsa is VERY strong.

[inteller]

i don't think it is a matter of finding "skilled" people that want these jobs.  The problem is kicking an entire generation in the donkey that has not had to do any menial labor thanks to our pro illegal immigration policies that took those jobs out of the hands of americans while we gleefully put them on wellfare.

What we are left with are vacant white kids in the suburbs living off their parent's largesse  and disenfranchised minorities in the ghettos committing crimes of boredom until their next guv'mint check comes in.

How the **** do we turn this around?  Get rid of the hand outs and put these vagrants to work and in the meantime kick out the illegals!

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

i don't think it is a matter of finding "skilled" people that want these jobs.  The problem is kicking an entire generation in the donkey that has not had to do any menial labor thanks to our pro illegal immigration policies that took those jobs out of the hands of americans while we gleefully put them on wellfare.

What we are left with are vacant white kids in the suburbs living off their parent's largesse  and disenfranchised minorities in the ghettos committing crimes of boredom until their next guv'mint check comes in.

How the **** do we turn this around?  Get rid of the hand outs and put these vagrants to work and in the meantime kick out the illegals!

Welcome to "Generation Entitled."

Ever since there have been children there have been temper tantrums because the parents won't buy/give them something. Not until this generation were the tantrums thrown in English and French by 13 year olds in private school uniforms who are "punished" by being made to sit in the back of the Mercedes SUV and play XBOX.

[TURobY]

[cannon_fodder]

Inteller,

I've never lost out on work to a Mexican.   I've detassled (corn fields suck), bar tended (what can I get for you sir?), telemarketing ("hello my name is cannon_fodder and I'm calling on behalf of major tobacco company, if you have a few minutes to complete a survey you may be legible for coupons and other valuable offers"), retail (I was a red vest at Kmart), painted houses, mowed lawns, plowed snow, broke apart pallets for recycling, worked on an eviction/clean up crew for rental properties, planted/helped trim trees at a tree farm, waited tables... my list of crappy jobs is long and varied (I've also done sales for a telemarketing firm, operations management for John Deere, managed another bar, worked at law firms, and managed a small industrial company.  Never been fired).  

My point is, there are PLENTY of crappy entry level jobs out there.  The jobs I listed paid from $5.65 to $10 an hour, sometimes a little more with tips, if we did well (detassling can have nice bonuses), or had to deal with a particular bad situation (rental cleanup).  They required no real skill and any idiot white kid from the suburbs could excel at them.

The problem is not that there are not entry level jobs, it is not that Mexicans "took 'er jobs."  The problem is the aforementioned sense of entitlement and the enabling of parents and societal acceptance of kids that don't want to and don't need to work.  I hate "real" work and went to school largely to avoid it, I admit that. But at least I worked enough jobs that I understand what it is about and I can respect the task these people do.

So I disagree on a couple of levels, we are not hiring unkilled labor of the mexican or suburban white kid level. Our problem is finding SKILLED people.  

On top of that, there are plenty of jobs white kids from the 'burbs or black kids from the "ghetto" can take.  If it comes down to it someone living with their parents should be able to compete on a wage level with illegal immigration anyway, black, white or otherwise.  Lack of entry level opportunities are a poor excuse for sitting at home sucking off of your parents wealth and/or going out and causing crimes of boredom.

So, I disagree immigration has anything to do with it, but I agree that both the kids in the ghetto and the kids in the 'burbs need to get off their asses and get a job.  Both to keep them busy AND to gain experiences in the work place.  What percentage of kids graduate from high school or college thinking they are ready to enter the "really real world" and have never even had a part time job?

[sgrizzle]

I want to be legible for coupons.