publicduende wrote:OutWest wrote:publicduende wrote:eurobrat wrote:And don't listen to Public's anti-US jargon, theres still plenty of money to be made in that country. I know a few Italians working in the US who say it's like heaven compared to the jobs they would get in Italy.
The US is growing slowly at a steady 1.9% meanwhile Italy is shrinking just as fast at -1.9%. Now you can all see why I left Italy, and even with Germanys minuscule growth I still feel economically more sound here.
It might well be ahead of Italy due to its residual infrastructure, but the edifice is collapsing at breakneck speed, too. The US is posting growth thanks to seasonal jobs and Wall Street magick. No friggin way the economy is getting better at the rate of 1.9 per year. If that were the case, Main Street would have noticed and had a real reason to cheer up.
As a European let me guarantee you: given your life/work situation, you have gained next to nothing swapping Italy for Germany. Cheaper beer and P4P, maybe? That's about it.
I don't know what your take is on main street USA, but I do not see the gloom and doom that you see. I see measured optimism and careful growth. Comments like...it's not booming, but we are growing. In Portland, the real estate market suffers from lack of supply. I am involved with a small start-up involving the West Coast of the USA and a couple of Chinese companies. We will have difficulty expanding fast enough to meet demand. I belong to a number of small business related organizations, and in the Western US as least, the tone is nothing like the doom and gloom you are talking about.
I am sure there are patches of green all around the US and I am glad you are involved in one of them. Not be cheesy, but I would be surprised to know a man of your wisdom stuck in the middle of a pond. Trouble is, from what I can read outside a pompously cheerful mainstream press, the employment picture isn't rosy overall. Much of the optimism fuelled by CEOs, financial analysts and commentators seem to have more to do with the growing financialisation of business models and assets (stock buyback, M&A, aggressive cost cutting via outsourcing and competive sourcing), rather than economic fundamentals, e.g. IP and market share growth.
What are your companies involved in? I am curious! I know some of the few remaining buoyant sectors are those related to medical technologies and services, oil & gas projects, and obviously high-end luxury.
Building a composite picture with "data" is a fools errand. With all the hot air flowing about jobs or no jobs, which posters are:
Engaged in business as employers
Actively developing a business.
Working in the personnel department of any growth sector company.
Developing new products and or services which will drive the economy.
??????
I seriously doubt that the naysayers are at all engaged in any of the above. Before Corny jumps in and tells me what a privileged baby boomer Jew I am, I can say that I was born without squat.
I talk about jobs out there because I talk almost weekly with men who want to hire people, who have
entry level and better jobs available that require such advanced job skills as actually showing up to work on time, being drug free, and having basic personality skills. The rest is negotiable.
I also talk with numbers young men(Under 30) who did not like the job they had and wanted something different. They did not see one on the horizon and so they have started some venture, usually on a shoestring. I know a small 2 man remodeling venture, a soap maker, a smaller brewery owner, a window washing service, a lawn and tractor service, a welding service, a young woman with a new beauty products supply business, and last but not least, 4 young men who pooled all they could beg borrow or steal to start a unique coffee bar, fine spirits and a unique fusion style menu with a heavy Spanish tapas tilt.
Yes, they have an exit plan. If they do not make it work, it means they will all have debt service and will move back home while they take their lumps. They are long on personality and ambition but low on cash, but they understand customer service, which already puts them in the minority.
They have signed up over 600 "charter customers" who will get special deals and discounts. They are set to open this fall.
As to your question Public, the companies are specialty steel products and manufacturing equipment designers and fabricators...Less than 300 employees each, although one is a small treasure trove of senior engineering talent. The market regions are the Western US and Latin America, initially in Chile next year, while the Western US is ongoing.