Are there any jobs in Michigan???!!!!!!!!! (Detroit, Grand Rapids: Home Depot, employment, subdivision)

[snoopygirlmi]

I moved back here from another state in 2001 and I wasn't prepared for what I found either. I ended up having more luck when I moved to Detroit Metro though because there are a lot of employers around here compared to the town I'm from.

Have you tried employment agencies? Have you applied in Ohio or Windsor yet? Also, be open to commuting, if need be. You really can't be to choosy about where you work nowadays.

I spend last year commuting from St. Clair Shores to Auburn Hills for work - after a few months it was horrible-partly because I was pregnant, but it paid the bills.

It might just be easier to adjust your budget so you can stay home - if that's an option.

There are jobs here, but if you aren't in health care, some areas of IT, finance - they can be hard to find.

[The Original Vagabon]

The job market is so bad you have to have a Masters Degree to flip burgers.

[kimba01]

With the gas prices soaring, it is just as bad as paying for daycare for your kids. Barely pays to commute very far for a 8-10 dollar an hour job.

[Coldjensens]

Yes. My brother was laid off the week before last. He starts a new higher paying job on Monday. He has no college degree. I guess there must be some jobs out there.

[tmlynn]

I was a resident of metro Detroit up until about two months ago. I had relocated there from Richmond, VA and am originally from FL. I lived in MI for seven years and when I first got there I could tell the economy there was screwy-I couldn't find a part-time job to save my life. I ended up staying in the same,dead end, full-time job I had for the next six years b/c I couldn't find a job I could work around nursing school. I then later decided to pursue finishing my bach degree after my daughter was born-but the economy was getting worse then, and I figured I was better off staying in the medical field. Isn't that terrible?

We're in Houston now and it's so funny how the whole atmosphere, weather and other-wise is so different from being in MI. My heart goes out to everyone struggling there. If you are able to leave-do so. My husband, who is a Michigander, can't believe he waited so long to move. His brother has been here for 27 years and still loves it.

[Slappy san]

I moved out of Michigan a few months ago. There just doesn't seem much out there.

[lrenee32]

Ahmsmom3, I feel your pain, because my situation is very similar to yours. I am also 32 and my spouse had to move here for a job as well. I have periodically tried the market throughout our couple of years in metro Detroit, and it has been rough. I have a postgraduate degree and have done teaching along with some business experience. My postgraduate degree is in the humanities, not business. I had to start out by taking a minimum wage job, and they have just recently promoted me. The pay is still not nearly enough, and there are no benefits, but it's a job. (Luckily my husband's job carries good benefits.) All this to say, you may need to start out with a low-paying job in an area that you would not have otherwise considered and then work your way up as far as possible.

I'm interested in what others have to say about this question, which may also help Ahmsmom3: Do you have to have a business degree in order to get an adequate job in Michigan? I mean, does it greatly increase your chances, or are things so bad that it really doesn't make a big difference anyway? I live in metro Detroit, and I have gotten several interviews for jobs, but I have not been hired. Let me also point out that these jobs were in the nonprofit sector - not exactly known for big pay and fierce competition.

[funymann]

Originally Posted by Ahmsmom3

I did research on the internet and nothing prepared me for this. Michigan wasn't my choice but my husbands employers choice. My choice would have been East Tennessee where I have friends and family and know I can get a job from knowing alot of people.

Now you're talkin!!

[ElphinKnight]

For whatever it's worth, my wife and I are moving back to SE Michigan after 5 months in South Carolina. Even with a business-related Master's degree I've been unable to find a job. We came down here for a job she had, but they lied to get her down here and then changed the job once we uprooted our lives (I left a FT job in Mich) and came here. Let me tell you, the job market is horrible everywhere. Where we moved was one of the 15 fastest growing places in the U.S. Ought to be jobs, right? Nope. Nothing worth anything. And what there is here is substantially lower-paying than Michigan. For example, if I were lucky enough to land the same type of position here as I had in Michigan, the pay is 35% lower. And no, the cost of living is NOT really any lower once you add up the real costs here. Anyhow, my wife is getting out of this job because they lied, and we're happily returning to our friends and family.

Yes, I know 8.7% unemployment is rough, but remember two things: First, the rate is closer to 6.2% in GR, Ann Arbor, and suburban Detroit. Flint area, inner Detroit, and the rural northern 2/3 of the state yank that rate up. Secondly, even if take the 8.7% rate, that means that 91.3% of people HAVE jobs. Take the positive outlook... I know it's hard. I'm right there with you. But seriously, don't think it's better anyplace else right now.

[jeanniepep]

Just for the record, that 8.7% is for people who are actively seeking work and receiving unemployment. That doesn't count the people for whom unemployment has run out, nor the millions of underemployed who have had to take lower-paying jobs (sometimes several of them) just to try and keep food on the table. I work part-time and make less than $100/week. Am I part of that 91.3%?

Not to be a glass-half-empty person, I'm really not. My own situation is actually very good because of my husband's job, so my part-time job is actually not a problem. He's technically employed in Michigan but his job involves 100% travel so we see each other once a month at best. But what can I say, it's good to have a reliable paycheck in this economy.

Anyway, you're right that employment situations are grim all over the U.S. It just seems like it's been grimmer for longer around here, but maybe it's just our perception because that's what we see every day. But, employment percentages are not an accurate reflection of how many people actually have full-time jobs.