Worst Place for Jobs

[Donna-501]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I have never seen a better post written about southwest Florida.

It is so true. Even in the boom times, the place is far from puppies and rainbows. There's something about the area where you really feel like you are on your own.

It's transient. Don't expect your neighbors to help you. Get out in traffic and some old guy is going to cut you off and give you the finger. Go shopping and someone is going to ram you with their cart and keep on moving.

Between that and the brutal, overbearing heat the place just starts to wear you down.

We left during the boom of 2005. My husband had lived there 25 years. He is a trained tradesman and he could get a job anywhere. So could I. The week I was packing I got a call for a very good position. Nope. We were out of there.

It was just too darn expensive and the school system was a disaster. I'm sorry. I'm from the northeast, I raised four other kids and I know a good school system. I know a bad one too, but this was beyond bad.

Move to the area now? C'mon. I know people are frustrated all over this country, but if you think you can just move down there and it will be equally bad but the weather will be better you are wrong. Dead wrong. It is worse down there. Much worse.

Even when life was good in southwest Florida, the jobs were minimum wage, for the most part. Now, even those jobs are gone.

This is definitely a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire. It's nuts.

I have been in my house for 15 years. My neighbor built at the same time. They are still here. Most of the people on my block were here before me and a few after. They are all still here except for a neighbor that got foreclosed on. They bought in 1998 but lost their jobs last year and couldn't keep up their mortgage. My neighbors help each other all the time. You get what you give.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Donna-501

I have been in my house for 15 years. My neighbor built at the same time. They are still here. Most of the people on my block were here before me and a few after. They are all still here except for a neighbor that got foreclosed on. They bought in 1998 but lost their jobs last year and couldn't keep up their mortgage. My neighbors help each other all the time. You get what you give.

Glad you found that kind of neighborhood. You definitely get what you give. Fortunately, up here, I've had a chance to interact with my neighbors. In Florida they couldn't bother to interact, even if it was to say "hello."

[nhkev]

Originally Posted by nhkev

the unemployment rate is not 16% the article was "predicting" 16% and unemployment "seems" to be waning but what it doesn't include is that it is a percentage of the "working population" not the entire population so if an area has a lot of retirees it's unemployment as a percentage of the total population may not be extreme when compare to the rest of the country.. I only found one stat and am open to correction but from an older census report 2002 it said cape coral had 47% that were not employment dependant so if the unemployment rate is under 12% than as a percentage of the entire population it's like 6.3% which is probably near what most other parts of the country are. and it also doesn't take into consideration the amount of snowbirds that keep their residency in their northern states. could probable explain why 70% of cape coral residents said they were happy in cape coral. the saying of "When your neighbor loses their job we're in a recession , when you lose your job it's a depression."

here's the latest unemployment available went Lee County posts record unemployment rate for May - cape-coral-daily-breeze.com | News, sports, community info. - Cape Coral Daily Breezeup instead of down

[yachtcare]

Lee County posts record unemployment rate for May - cape-coral-daily-breeze.com | News, sports, community info. - Cape Coral Daily Breeze


The first, and last three sentences of that article pretty much tell the tale. I'd figure on a 14% rate or close too it by summer's end.

[aecp]

I am curious, why are there still so many jobs in health care there? I interviewed and got an offer the next day. Even my profession is suffering across the country so why, in a place where unemployment is so high, is health care still thriving? What am I missing?

[yachtcare]

Originally Posted by aecp

I am curious, why are there still so many jobs in health care there? I interviewed and got an offer the next day. Even my profession is suffering across the country so why, in a place where unemployment is so high, is health care still thriving? What am I missing?

I can only guess you are missing the fact that this area is populated by a preponderance of aging retirees. That is the one demographic group that has always thrived here. They have made their fortunes in decades past, and do not need to work to "make a living". That may begin to change in the not to distant future, as the next wave of retirees have been all but wiped out in this most recent depression. The future of SW FL looks somewhat bleak. But then, most of the country appears to be in much the same boat, going forward.......

Traditionally, the younger group that can survive here, does so by providing services to those that are "spending down" their retirement. A large portion of that goes to health care, while the rest goes to basic services, for example lawn care, boat maintenance, home repairs, etc, etc. You know, the things you wouldnt expect a 70+ year old to be doing in 90 degree heat themselves.......And of course younger folks need health care, and all those other things, as well. Just not to the same extent.

In southwest Florida, tourism, followed by health care, are the two biggest industries in the area.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by yachtcare

I can only guess you are missing the fact that this area is populated by a preponderance of aging retirees. That is the one demographic group that has always thrived here. They have made their fortunes in decades past, and do not need to work to "make a living". That may begin to change in the not to distant future, as the next wave of retirees have been all but wiped out in this most recent depression. The future of SW FL looks somewhat bleak. But then, most of the country appears to be in much the same boat, going forward.......

Traditionally, the younger group that can survive here, does so by providing services to those that are "spending down" their retirement. A large portion of that goes to health care, while the rest goes to basic services, for example lawn care, boat maintenance, home repairs, etc, etc. You know, the things you wouldnt expect a 70+ year old to be doing in 90 degree heat themselves.......And of course younger folks need health care, and all those other things, as well. Just not to the same extent.

In southwest Florida, tourism, followed by health care, are the two biggest industries in the area.

That's exactly right.

[TedTAce]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Forbes voted Cape Coral-Fort Myers the worst place for jobs in the country this spring. It's net employment outlook is -16 percent. By the way, Naples was voted sixth.

This is just a fair warning for people planning to move but need to have a job but have nothing lined up.

Where The Jobs Are, Spring 2009 - Forbes.com

Thank goodness there is still a demand for nurses!!

[TedTAce]

Originally Posted by aecp

I am curious, why are there still so many jobs in health care there? I interviewed and got an offer the next day. Even my profession is suffering across the country so why, in a place where unemployment is so high, is health care still thriving? What am I missing?

Probably because the spouses of the healthcare community have had to move to find work. IE nurse with great job married to joe Construction, He loses his job, wants to relocate to Arkansas to work, she's going to move with him because she can find a job, leaving yet another healthcare vacancy in CC/FMY. I am hoping to take an LPN position myself down there this fall.