From a year ago, how's your work load now compared to then?

Where i'm from in east central Wi, we a lot of industry (manufacturing).
Jobs have been very plentiful in recent years.
Trades have been especially short handed as i believe to be the case all over.

I'm no expert, so don't hang me up if you disagree. It's only my perception of this area, but I'm seeing things starting to slide a little downward from about mid year of 2018.
General labor (unskilled factory) jobs are still out there to be had just not as many IMO.

How's it by you or if you are from this area what do you think?

A lot more jobs around here than there are people to fill them.

As technology advances, less skilled labor is needed. Even my job is slowly dying. With fiber optics, copper cable is going by the way side. Not much affects fiber. Great for customers, sucks for technicians. Hopefully I’ll still be needed for another 10 years...30 at 60!

x2

Worked 50 to 55 hours a week for the last 3 years. Dropped to 40 hours a week since early December.

There was a big push to complete several projects by end of year for one of our customers. We got them done and things are slower now.

Still almost impossible to hire journeymen at this point.

Mike

The residential building market is great in my area. Tons of work for all trades. Industry is doing good also. Seems to be a lot of jobs available from starting level position all the way through skilled trades.

Work for myself doing residential tree care, was our best fall ever, we are dead right now but that happens every winter. I am hoping to expand the business this spring and hoping the current workload can be expanded. Most good jobs are filled here, plenty of low paying stuff unfilled though.

Coal mine business has picked up a lot the past year. Its been dead last 3 or 4 yrs. Other businesses that requiring castings must really be picking up too. My reasoning being we put an order in with the foundry the last of June, turn around time is usually 60 to 90 days. We are just now picking up our order next week. So somebody must be busy doing something.

Well a year ago I was unemployed. Now I’m full time along with my wife who works for the same company. We can barely keep up with demand. In total our company only employs about 14 people though and I’m not sure about the rest of interior Alaska’s economy...although every time we go shopping be it grocery or other, the stores seem to be packed.

I do heat and air work. Been trying to retire but it's been one of the busiest years I can remember. It should be dead now but seems to be clicking along at a decent pace for winter. A lot of new equipment this year.

In our are if you don't have a job its because you don't want one.

Work is steady for me could be more if i want it ( but i dont do overtime). The company i work for can't hire enough workers. Turn over is bad always has been but last few years they just can't hire anyone that wants to work. It' s a good job , good $$ and benefits are top. Mining companies always pay well and have good benefits. But more leave than stay here lately. I work in the hot metal smelter now , alot better work than mining under ground. Sad how some young guys burn there bridges to when they leave. Other big jobs in the area are the rail road and oil refineries. They to are hiring and seem to have same problems.

I've been in residential construction most of my life and owned my own general contracting business for the last twenty-four years. The last two years have been the busiest I've ever been.

Before this period, when I got too busy, I'd farm some work out to other contractors. Over the last two years I've been unable to do that, all the other general contractors I trust are way too busy too take on additional work. So I end up pushing regular customers back for months, sometimes many months.

Good, skilled help in this industry has always been hard to find. It's much worse now. Almost anybody who wants a job has one and those that are left don't want to work, especially at something as strenuous as residential construction.

I get a chuckle out of the few forum liberals who claim the Obama years were so good economically. There were some pretty lean years in there for me business-wise. People just didn't have much disposable income, they were doing only necessary repairs, very few additions, garages, decks, etc.

I've always focused on wealthy customers with large real estate holdings and they got me through those lean years but the bulk of my repeat customer base are regular folks. I haven't taken any jobs from new customers in three years.