If You Want to Move Without a Job, Please Read (Portland: transplants, unemployment rate)

[subsound]

Since this is a moving forum, I thought I would post this as thoughts that seem to be pretty often repeated.

If you don't have a job lined up when you want to move to Portland, I strongly suggest you stay put for a bit. The local economy is one of the 5 worst in the country at 9.1% unemployment. Now circumstances can differ, but I think it most applies to people who have a job (and are sick of their job or area) and want to move to a new area without a new one lined up.

Things differ if you can mitigate the risk:
A) You've been laid off and have a severance.
B) You just graduated with an advanced or professional degree with special skills in demand.
C) You have friends in the area and have a place to stay to look.

Even then, have a backup plan and funds to do it if anything goes wrong.

If you want to move, wait and plan. Cut expenses and save up a good moving expense fund now, and when things look better jump on what you want.

This is not that I'm trying to be mean or I hate transplants, I just moved to Portland in May 2008 from Denver with a job offer.

[Minervah]

Well Subsound, you had to know I was going to agree with you! People who move here and naively believe they can find any old job like dish-washing, fast food serving, odd jobs etc are in the worst position. As people become desperate for work, those who are here are already lining up for even these types of jobs. I am seeing more and more older people working at fast food restaraunts as I have never seen before. These are folks in their 40's or 50's who have no doubt lost good jobs elsewhere.

I plan to move as soon as I can afford it. I want to find someplace more affordable. But you better believe I will not move an inch without enough funds to last at least a year, I will wait until the economy gets better and I will definitely check out the job situation before I go anywhere. One thing for sure, I won't move to a place, no matter how nice, if it has a high unemployment rate.

[meltinjohn]

Originally Posted by subsound

Since this is a moving forum, I thought I would post this as thoughts that seem to be pretty often repeated.

If you don't have a job lined up when you want to move to Portland, I strongly suggest you stay put for a bit. The local economy is one of the 5 worst in the country at 9.1% unemployment. Now circumstances can differ, but I think it most applies to people who have a job (and are sick of their job or area) and want to move to a new area without a new one lined up.

Things differ if you can mitigate the risk:
A) You've been laid off and have a severance.
B) You just graduated with an advanced or professional degree with special skills in demand.
C) You have friends in the area and have a place to stay to look.

Even then, have a backup plan and funds to do it if anything goes wrong.

If you want to move, wait and plan. Cut expenses and save up a good moving expense fund now, and when things look better jump on what you want.

This is not that I'm trying to be mean or I hate transplants, I just moved to Portland in May 2008 from Denver with a job offer.

This ad applies to me for sure. All these things you suggested Im already doing so Im ahead of the game like cutting expenses. I want to move to Portland bad but when the economy improves which is god knows when is when I may be able to do it or if I save a sum to last me 4 months. I can probably get an appt no problem in a part of the city that isnt in high demand like NE 60th or maybe 82nd area.
Portlands economy may look bad but dont a lot of places??
Somebody I talked to from WA believed FL is even worse than Portland and said I wouldnt have a problem there compared to here so.. I dunno.
Maybe environment jobs will be coming there and create a new boom.
People seem to single it out but FL is just as bad I think for sure and look at Los Angeles nd NY. Every city is bad and I think you just gotta make your move where you want to pretty much and take the same approach anywhere. Of course it could get done quicker if you choose local cities but thats not something I choose to do right now.

[Minervah]

Okay I know there are those whole will disagree with me and that's ok but I have found in my 30 plus years of living in Portland and experiencing several job layoffs that jobs are never really easy to come by here unless you are really specialized in a field where there is a high demand.

That's just something to keep in mind. Right now, most places are equally bad but as the situation gets better, Portland will always be a bit higher in it's unemployment rate IMHO. This is why in a few years when things get better and I will be living on a fixed income, I intend to move where my $$ will stretch farther.

[dpgtfc]

Originally Posted by subsound

B) You just graduated with an advanced or professional degree with special skills in demand.

Does B.S in Information Technology with a focus in Database Administration count for anything in those parts, or has the layoffs in Micro$oft flooded the market?

[John Shaft]

The high unemployment rate is (currently) mostly due to the really high unemployment numbers in the more rural areas - we're talking 10-15% rates. Portland itself isn't too different from other large cities - currently at 7-7.5%. However, that is not a good number for job seekers anyway, and I sense that it will get a lot higher as 2009 unfolds. The Pac NW is just starting to feel the pain that much of the rest of the nation has already been experiencing for a while.

[subsound]

I really just got tired of typing it out over and over again, and honestly unless some one is in Detroit...I would have the same suggestions. I know if I was laid off of my position I couldn't stay in Portland, I would have to find a position back in Denver...even with a masters and specialized skills in health care there's nothing for me here.

I see a good number of people around who want to live the carefree artist life, working as DJ, slacker writer, undiscovered musician, passionate destitute painter, etc...basically put off growing up for a bit (even forever) and being a cubicle monkey, or actually making it at their passion. Not that it's a bad thing per say, but without experience and without a direction you're working the bottom rungs of a service economy...and with 9% (I think about 90,000 people, 9% of 1 million in the metro area) already unable to find any job, what chance does anyone really have in the same boat?

I think the markets have bottomed out myself at the Dow reaching 8,000...unless something big happens it should bounce around there. Environmental jobs might not be the boon to the economy as thought, as prices for environmentally friendly stuff is higher then the wasteful...people might not be able to afford the good stuff with layoffs, or since commodity prices have dropped they might seem less attractive. Only my opinion really though.

[dpgtfc]

Well, I don't know what you know, but it doesn't seem any different here than there. 9% isn't crushingly different than 7.5%. I've been looking around the entire country for a job, and Portland seems to have a fair number of jobs listed online. About the same (though maybe slightly less) than other cities of it's relative size.

As for health-care, I hear Nursing is the same, but my wife is a physical therapist.

She put her resume online on a Sunday Night at 10:30 (this was on 1/25/09), by Monday at 7:20 am she already had received a call from recruiters. By Lunchtime that same day she had 26 voice-mails. For over a week she has averaged 10-15 emails a day, and 8 calls. She has already had 2 phone interviews.

As for myself, I've been posting my resume and applying online since early November 2008, and have gotten one call and a couple spam emails.

I don't think Portland is as unique as you make it out to be.

[subsound]

For certain people it can be, such as those who are recent grads where there are few barriers for entry in a similar position. I include myself in it because I'm in finance, even though with years of experience in health care...with all those banks, brokerages, and financial institutions failing that's a good amount of similar education and math background.

As I said, it's not unique...but if you have a job and you want to leave it to move across the country without a position lined up it's not a good idea to do anywhere. I put it in the Portland forums because I live here, and I see the people begging on the corner for change...and the people let go from my office asking for personal references and complaining over a drink.

[dpgtfc]

Originally Posted by subsound

As I said, it's not unique...but if you have a job and you want to leave it to move across the country without a position lined up it's not a good idea to do anywhere.

That's true, and I wouldn't move if neither of us had a job lined up.

My wife hates her current job, and she obviously has options banging down her door. My job switched from a student job when I graduated. I am now a temp due to a hiring freeze (which requires me to be "rehired" from student status). Since I am a temp, I am only approved until April. They are keeping me on because I have worked here through most of my schooling, but they can only do so much.

I don't have a Job, after April. I'm lucky to have a temporary position as it is.