We have noticed that in the U.S. we also have a hard time finding reliable plumbers, electricians, and so on. We needed some plumbing work done, and the company that got the highest reviews continued to put off the job even after two canceled appointments. He said they were busy elsewhere. We finally got a plumber who is reliable and charges decent prices. We consider him a real “find.” We have had similar issues with electricians. The trades have become in such demand that they really don’t need the job that much anymore. One contractor gave me a bid on some work and then told me he didn’t know when he could get to it because he was so busy and didn’t really need the extra work. I joke with my PhD educated son that if his school closes (it’s a small private college so it’s always in the back of our minds), and he can’t get another job at a college (he’s not an MIT physicist and academic jobs are hard to find these days), he should become a plumber or truck driver so he can make some real money (his salary as a tenured associate professor is less than 65K per year)!
Though a robot recently won a half-marathon, smashing the human record by seven minutes. And this is just the start. However, I don't see robots performing the intricate movements of someone fixing plumbing for some time, though I could see it sooner for putting in plumbing on new construction, which is far easier as I understand it. I knew one plumber who would only work new construction because he said it was so much easier than residential plumbing.
We have noticed that in the U.S. we also have a hard time finding reliable plumbers, electricians, and so on. We needed some plumbing work done, and the company that got the highest reviews continued to put off the job even after two canceled appointments. He said they were busy elsewhere. We finally got a plumber who is reliable and charges decent prices. We consider him a real “find.” We have had similar issues with electricians. The trades have become in such demand that they really don’t need the job that much anymore. One contractor gave me a bid on some work and then told me he didn’t know when he could get to it because he was so busy and didn’t really need the extra work. I joke with my PhD educated son that if his school closes (it’s a small private college so it’s always in the back of our minds), and he can’t get another job at a college (he’s not an MIT physicist and academic jobs are hard to find these days), he should become a plumber or truck driver so he can make some real money (his salary as a tenured associate professor is less than 65K per year)!
I agree. The trades are where it's at for good employment these days. You should be able to avoid AI taking over the job, at least for now
Though a robot recently won a half-marathon, smashing the human record by seven minutes. And this is just the start. However, I don't see robots performing the intricate movements of someone fixing plumbing for some time, though I could see it sooner for putting in plumbing on new construction, which is far easier as I understand it. I knew one plumber who would only work new construction because he said it was so much easier than residential plumbing.
Having had to do many plumbing projects on our houses, totally understand that point of view