Job Availability (Grand Rapids, Flint, Ann Arbor: relocate, property taxes, travel)

[tarheel]

Hey I was just inquiring I am looking at lot of different areas, believe me Michigan is defintely off the list now. I can't believe how critical and unfriendly everyone has been to a simple question I wish you all well and hope you find a job soon. Things are tough all over so I guess there is a lot of bitterness out there.

[travelling_paws]

Originally Posted by LunaPie

HAHAHAHA! He wants to know about getting a job in Michigan! Is this a joke?

Honey, I have a bachelors degree and I haven't found anything but a substitute job since I graduated...which was 9 months ago. Unless you're a nurse, don't bother.

I believe Michigan unemployment is at about 6.3% currently. This means out of every 100 people, 93.7% of them have jobs.
Just because one person is having a tough time finding a job, doesn't mean everyone will! I am self employed (painting contractor) and have worked steadily since arriving here 5 years ago, no new construction either - amd I'm booked through October. Every single client of mine is employed, as are all my friends and most people I come into contact with during the day. Paint store, Starbucks, road crews, gas stations and stores, city cops, the bank, the post office, truck and delivery and school bus drivers, car lots and garages and oil change places and construction sites and beauty shops and offices and...you get the picture. Lots and lots of people working, and yes I even see "help wanted" signs.
So you may extrapolate from your experience that the idea of finding work in this state is a joke. Were I to extrapolate from mine, I'd say go for it, plenty of work to be found.

Maybe it's a glass half full/half empty thing. But I don't see the point in getting so darn negative.

[tarheel]

Originally Posted by travelling_paws

I believe Michigan unemployment is at about 6.3% currently. This means out of every 100 people, 93.7% of them have jobs.
Just because one person is having a tough time finding a job, doesn't mean everyone will! I am self employed (painting contractor) and have worked steadily since arriving here 5 years ago, no new construction either - amd I'm booked through October. Every single client of mine is employed, as are all my friends and most people I come into contact with during the day. Paint store, Starbucks, road crews, gas stations and stores, city cops, the bank, the post office, truck and delivery and school bus drivers, car lots and garages and oil change places and construction sites and beauty shops and offices and...you get the picture. Lots and lots of people working, and yes I even see "help wanted" signs.
So you may extrapolate from your experience that the idea of finding work in this state is a joke. Were I to extrapolate from mine, I'd say go for it, plenty of work to be found.

Maybe it's a glass half full/half empty thing. But I don't see the point in getting so darn negative.

Thank you, it sounds like you have had a great experience, we are checking out many areas and it will be next summer before we move and a lot can happen in a year. It's hard to think about moving but sometimes change is good and we have had a rough 2 years and thought it might be nice to go somewhere else and meet some new people. In the area I live unemployment is high we do have some new things coming into the area but in one county alone in the last 2 years about 1000 people got laid off so if 500-800 new jobs come it still leaves alot of people out there. Good luck with your business.

[thisguy]

Originally Posted by travelling_paws

I believe Michigan unemployment is at about 6.3% currently. This means out of every 100 people, 93.7% of them have jobs.
Just because one person is having a tough time finding a job, doesn't mean everyone will! I am self employed (painting contractor) and have worked steadily since arriving here 5 years ago, no new construction either - amd I'm booked through October. Every single client of mine is employed, as are all my friends and most people I come into contact with during the day. Paint store, Starbucks, road crews, gas stations and stores, city cops, the bank, the post office, truck and delivery and school bus drivers, car lots and garages and oil change places and construction sites and beauty shops and offices and...you get the picture. Lots and lots of people working, and yes I even see "help wanted" signs.
So you may extrapolate from your experience that the idea of finding work in this state is a joke. Were I to extrapolate from mine, I'd say go for it, plenty of work to be found.

Maybe it's a glass half full/half empty thing. But I don't see the point in getting so darn negative.

You cannot just look at the unemployment rate. There are MANY people who are working at jobs they are seriously overqualified for. Lots of white collar managers (formerly) doing side jobs and working 20 hours a week or working in temporary agencies, making 60% less than what they normally would. So they are "employed" by traditional measures but underemployed in the real sense

There was an article the other day about a company which was planning 100 new jobs, paying a measly $10/hour in manufacturing. They had an open house and 4000 people showed up. That is 40 people for every 1 opening for a $10/hour job. You can make $8 at McDonalds.

If you are telling me this is a healthy economy overall I have to disagree with you. I know lots of people who are making 1/3 or less than they made 2 years ago because they are unemployed and are doing any job to get any sort of income.

[thisguy]

Originally Posted by tarheel

Hey I was just inquiring I am looking at lot of different areas, believe me Michigan is defintely off the list now. I can't believe how critical and unfriendly everyone has been to a simple question I wish you all well and hope you find a job soon. Things are tough all over so I guess there is a lot of bitterness out there.

I dont know if people were attacking you, were they? I think most were warning you, so you are not in the same situation they are in or the same situation they know many people here are in. I would consider that friendly advice.

Maybe paws lives in a different environment or surrounded by people not at all affected by the layoffs but all different types of circles I go through, work/social/personal/sports etc I know of people going through a lot of hard times, worried about keeping their homes, considering moving out of state even though family is here and they don't want to move, but forced to due to realities of the job market... again these are all auto related and when people leave the state, these associated jobs also get hurt (barbers, nail salons, retail, service industries) etc.

[abhimulamalla]

I agree with travelling paws..... BELIEVE IN MICHGAN....WE will bounce back.....! there are quite a few openings in mi in every field.....! so plz don't mark MI off ur list....Its a grt place to live....all the best.....!

[travelling_paws]

Originally Posted by thisguy

You cannot just look at the unemployment rate. There are MANY people who are working at jobs they are seriously overqualified for. Lots of white collar managers (formerly) doing side jobs and working 20 hours a week or working in temporary agencies, making 60% less than what they normally would. So they are "employed" by traditional measures but underemployed in the real sense

There was an article the other day about a company which was planning 100 new jobs, paying a measly $10/hour in manufacturing. They had an open house and 4000 people showed up. That is 40 people for every 1 opening for a $10/hour job. You can make $8 at McDonalds.

If you are telling me this is a healthy economy overall I have to disagree with you. I know lots of people who are making 1/3 or less than they made 2 years ago because they are unemployed and are doing any job to get any sort of income.

I never said the economy was great here, nor did I say it was easy to find a job. All I said was, it is most certainly possible to find a job and to rely on anecdotal evidence by a few people online as the deciding factor whether or not to make a major move simply makes no sense.

The other poster implied it was simply stupid to move here and the only reason she gave was that she had a degree and hadn't found a job in nine months. Which is absolutely useless information to tarheel although no doubt really frustrating for LunaPie. I offered my own personal anecdote, which I realise is equally useless information for tarheel; I was only making a point that you can't extrapolate from a single person's experience. And, that statistics are not very useful when applied to any one person's experience.

At the time I wrote that post, I had absolutely no clue what tarheel's degrees were in, whether she and her bf had military or civil service, what their skill sets are, how much they need to make, if they had any contacts or family here, etc etc.

I'm not disputing anything you write, Michigan overall is not a job candyland. . I know people who are not doing well financially too. I also know people who are doing much better than they were two years ago. It just depends.

[thisguy]

Originally Posted by travelling_paws

I never said the economy was great here, nor did I say it was easy to find a job. All I said was, it is most certainly possible to find a job and to rely on anecdotal evidence by a few people online as the deciding factor whether or not to make a major move simply makes no sense.

The other poster implied it was simply stupid to move here and the only reason she gave was that she had a degree and hadn't found a job in nine months. Which is absolutely useless information to tarheel although no doubt really frustrating for LunaPie. I offered my own personal anecdote, which I realise is equally useless information for tarheel; I was only making a point that you can't extrapolate from a single person's experience. And, that statistics are not very useful when applied to any one person's experience.

At the time I wrote that post, I had absolutely no clue what tarheel's degrees were in, whether she and her bf had military or civil service, what their skill sets are, how much they need to make, if they had any contacts or family here, etc etc.

I'm not disputing anything you write, Michigan overall is not a job candyland. . I know people who are not doing well financially too. I also know people who are doing much better than they were two years ago. It just depends.

Check out Detroit News today. Foreclosures are rising fast - MI now 6th in the entire country in # of foreclosures... just more evidence. Interesting story. www.detnews.com

If you have a job all set up before you come to MI, I am not advocating not coming to MI. But if you just show up its not so easy to find a job in many fields. Other states are desperate for people to fill jobs in many fields.

Service fields? Yes one can find a job. Mostly low paying. Professional (non medical) or blue collar manufacturing? Tough. Want to start your own business? You can do it in the right field but in that case I would say why Michigan unless you love winters If you love a thriving big city downtown, we lack that too. I am just stating the realities here... if you have a thriving business, make great money, and love suburbia we have some of the best in the country, with great schools. If that floats your boat and is your situation =)

[travelling_paws]

Originally Posted by thisguy

Check out Detroit News today. Foreclosures are rising fast - MI now 6th in the entire country in # of foreclosures... just more evidence. Interesting story. www.detnews.com

Yah...I know, it's bad....though it's not only the economy here, there's a number of reasons that foreclosures are rising in many parts of the country, as pointed out in that article.
You said in your other post:

Maybe paws lives in a different environment or surrounded by people not at all affected by the layoffs but all different types of circles I go through,

You do have a good point there; all my clients are pretty well off (to afford me haha) so while my own economic status isn't exactly living large, my work life is spent mostly in & around pretty upscale locales. I've only been in MI for 5 years and pretty much hit the ground running with my business so I guess I am one of the lucky ones. So my viewpoint probably is somewhat skewed.
Having said that, I'm not particularly in love with this state, but I am in a good position to save; own my house outright (it's in Flint mind you, houses are outrageously cheap here and for good reason!) So here I stay for a bit, hate suburbia, enjoy winter.

The job situation aside, I'd still choose MI over most of the Southeastern states. Been to all of them & mostly not impressed.

[thisguy]

Originally Posted by travelling_paws

Yah...I know, it's bad....though it's not only the economy here, there's a number of reasons that foreclosures are rising in many parts of the country, as pointed out in that article.
You said in your other post:



You do have a good point there; all my clients are pretty well off (to afford me haha) so while my own economic status isn't exactly living large, my work life is spent mostly in & around pretty upscale locales. I've only been in MI for 5 years and pretty much hit the ground running with my business so I guess I am one of the lucky ones. So my viewpoint probably is somewhat skewed.
Having said that, I'm not particularly in love with this state, but I am in a good position to save; own my house outright (it's in Flint mind you, houses are outrageously cheap here and for good reason!) So here I stay for a bit, hate suburbia, enjoy winter.

The job situation aside, I'd still choose MI over most of the Southeastern states. Been to all of them & mostly not impressed.

What sort of work or business do you do? (that caters to higher end folks) There are higher end folks in flint? lol

If someone was picking a midwest state I'd probably push them towards Illinois (Chicago) or Minneapolis - nice cosmpolitan areas.... MI is very segregrated and the downtown is severely lacking. You walk in downtown Chicago or Minneapolis and its thriving and people are everywhere. Detroit there are about 6 blocks around the stadiums/Foxtown and thats it. And sadly its a lot better than it was a decade ago. It just a ghosttown in most of the downtown which is sad, because the urban core should be a jewel for the metro area.

For families with kids etc the suburbia is good due to nice schools, but for younger people (20s/to early 30s) and retirees I would think its relatively boring. Cost of living is decent, and there is a lot of sports, and being around a lot of lakes is a nice outdoor thing... those are the main draws.
I hear Grand Rapids is supposedly very nice too, but the lake effect snow is a drawback there Personally if I was to move its not going to be an area that I dislike being outside from November to mid April, which is nearly half the year cooped up inside.

The population trends in the country are definately south and west, much of it climate related so hopefully some of the things that lack in the south will come as more people move down there and bring those things missing (without totally changing the character of the area) Even great cities in the north like Boston are losing people as cost of living is too high for many, and companies are relocating jobs to south and west.

Or, if one is very patient, with global warming, MI should be in the sweet spot in about 50-75 years as much of the south becomes uninhabitable lol