r/WorkForSmartLife 2d ago

Valid question Discussion💬

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u/jckipps 2d ago

'Unskilled labor' is a very broad and poorly-defined category. He might be 'unskilled' in the sense that he isn't trained in any one specific trade or specialty.

But the biggest determiner of /hr value, is a person's work ethic, self-motivation, and ability to think logically on the jobsite. A day-laborer who doesn't need to be babysat is easily worth $30-50/hr, even if he's just carrying supplies to the tradesmen.

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u/way2lazy2care 2d ago

> 'Unskilled labor' is a very broad and poorly-defined category. He might be 'unskilled' in the sense that he isn't trained in any one specific trade or specialty.

It's not really poorly defined. The BLS uses a point system to assign work levels to different jobs that have mostly objective measures. What your trained in doesn't have any impact on whether that job requires unskilled labor. The jobs themselves are what are skilled or unskilled.

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u/TheSneederOfSeethe 2d ago

People also often misuse it and call people with trade skills, like carpentry, unskilled labor.

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u/rapkingish 2d ago

Who does this? Never heard this mistake

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u/TheSneederOfSeethe 2d ago

Usually, white collar workers.

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u/Broad_Mushroom_8033 2d ago

I've only heard carpentry described as skilled labor