Orlando still most 'financially distressed' in U.S., despite slight 1st-quarter improvement

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Exactly....everyone loves to look past the fact that the new jobs are part-time generally, have no benefits and pay maybe $9-$10 an hour, with 70% of the jobs created in Retail since April and nearly half in Leisure and Hospitality over the past year....which doesn't include Retail numbers. One has to look past the numbers to see the reality of what is happening economically. Denver, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, San Jose and Cincinnati also are at or near 7.2% unemployment. To suggest Orlando is on equal economic footing with any of those cities is pure idiocy.

It's idiocy to believe that this is an Orlando and Florida specific problem

Low-wage jobs explosion - Aug. 31, 2012

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

It's idiocy to believe that this is an Orlando and Florida specific problem

Low-wage jobs explosion - Aug. 31, 2012

It's not specific to Orlando or Florida but most pronounced here because of the general lack of professional sector jobs relative to the low wage jobs, and seemingly getting worse.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

It's not specific to Orlando or Florida but most pronounced here because of the general lack of professional sector jobs relative to the low wage jobs, and seemingly getting worse.

The onus is on you to prove that claim. The data suggests this is a nationwide problem

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

The onus is on you to prove that claim. The data suggests this is a nationwide problem

Once again from the Sentinel ad you posted..

"Though state and local numbers are heading in the right direction, economists point out that much of the job growth is happening in sectors that do not pay very well or offer particularly generous benefits.

Seyfried said in Metro Orlando, about 70 percent of the jobs created in April were in retail sales. Over the past year, 44 percent of the region's new jobs came from the leisure and hospitality sector.

Mark Soskin, an economics professor at the University of Central Florida, said the state is still woozy from the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in construction, the space industry and the defense industry.

"Many of those were good fringe benefits, high-salary jobs," he said. "And many of them aren't likely to return soon."

While the job market clearly has improved, it likely looks stronger than it really is. That's because the labor force participation rate — a measure of people working or looking for work — has been contracting at both the state and national levels, a trend that helps suppress the jobless rate."

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Once again from the Sentinel ad you posted..

"Though state and local numbers are heading in the right direction, economists point out that much of the job growth is happening in sectors that do not pay very well or offer particularly generous benefits.

Seyfried said in Metro Orlando, about 70 percent of the jobs created in April were in retail sales. Over the past year, 44 percent of the region's new jobs came from the leisure and hospitality sector.

Mark Soskin, an economics professor at the University of Central Florida, said the state is still woozy from the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in construction, the space industry and the defense industry.

"Many of those were good fringe benefits, high-salary jobs," he said. "And many of them aren't likely to return soon."

While the job market clearly has improved, it likely looks stronger than it really is. That's because the labor force participation rate — a measure of people working or looking for work — has been contracting at both the state and national levels, a trend that helps suppress the jobless rate."

Nothing suggests that's out of proportion to the country. Retail jobs are also the fastest growing sector nationwide along with food prep workers, waiters and waitresses etc.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Nothing suggests that's out of proportion to the country. Retail jobs are also the fastest growing sector nationwide along with food prep workers, waiters and waitresses etc.

Ok, yeah you have to be right and let's ignore all of the indicators suggesting otherwise...it's always everyone else that is wrong when you say otherwise.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Ok, yeah you have to be right and let's ignore all of the indicators suggesting otherwise...it's always everyone else that is wrong when you say otherwise.

So you don't have any proof that Orlando is significantly worse than the nation as a whole in low-wage job growth?

Got it

At least now we can both be honest that your opinions on the Orlando and its job market are subjective, rather than objective

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

So you don't have any proof that Orlando is significantly worse than the nation as a whole in low-wage job growth?

Got it

At least now we can both be honest that your opinions on the Orlando and its job market are subjective, rather than objective

Perhaps ranking #70 of major cities in terms of Average Salary is a decent indicator.
The Cities Where People Earn The Biggest and Smallest Paychecks - Forbes

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Perhaps ranking #70 of major cities in terms of Average Salary is a decent indicator.
The Cities Where People Earn The Biggest and Smallest Paychecks - Forbes

With a cheaper col than average

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

With a cheaper col than average

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Cheaper than average on some things, definitely not in the more important brackets such as rental housing (nearly six in ten rent in Orlando) with the average rent at $1063 a month as well as high utility costs.

From the US Census Bureau..."Some of the heaviest burdens in the 50 most populous metro areas were borne by renters in Florida and California, states hard hit by the housing market-led recession. In Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL, more than one-half (54.3 percent) of renting households were burdened. In Orlando-Kissimmee, FL, 50.8 percent of renters were burdened".

To put it further into perspective cities tied with or well above Orlando's 71st place salary ranking had average rental rates significantly less. Omaha's average rent is $898, Greensboro $697, Jacksonville $895, Tulsa $709, Cleveland $878, Indianapolis $790, Louisville $887, Columbus $790, Des Moines $743, Kansas City $858, Colorado Springs $859, Cincinnati $918, Las Vegas $829, Albuquerque $865, Memphis $838

Also as mentioned in Sperling's the score for utility costs in Orlando is at 108, with 100 as average. That's a pretty significant chunk of salary as well.