What I Love, Hate, Like, Dislike about Portland Oregon (Burns: unemployment rate, prices)

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by khyron

That's not surprising, and not necessarily germane, unless you're deliberately changing the subject. You could live in a city with the population of Portland for many decades and not personally be surveyed, and still have very statistically significant survey data being collected all the time. This would remain true even if none of your friends mentioned being surveyed either. You have to remember that Portland has a wonderful small town feeling, but does have more than half a million people (in the city limits alone).

The commenter above did an excellent job of explaining how unemployment statistics are gathered and what they actually reflect.

Both posters did, and I decided to rep them. While the method of gathering the info sounds even less reliable to me now, I do appreciate them taking the time.

[Ryant]

Originally Posted by LeftCoastee

Incorrect. This is a pet peeve of mine because I see this misinformation posted almost every day in different forums / comment sections on news reports. Unemployment statistics have absolutely NOTHING to do with unemployment benefits. If it was linked to unemployment benefits, it would be grossly understated.

What a great post. I always see on forums people saying "it doesn't include the people who ran out of benefits, it's more like 50-60%!" or something lol.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by artwomyn

Portland, and other west coast cities, need to get a clue, and start trying to eliminate homelessness, or at least bring the large bumbers down. I'm originally from the east, where we have cold winters. And I've never seen as many homeless people out in the streets, as I did when I lived in Portland, the SF Bay area, and LA.

I think that the west coast cities, including Portland, have been very negligent about their homeless problesms. That needs to stop!

There are also alot of homeless people in Atlanta. Sometimes you can find them out in the suburbs. Some of them have little camps out in the woods.

[PDXBorn]

Then go ahead and show up with no job. Some of us are sick and tired of trying to tell the truth and being treated like we are lying. Just be sure that if you decide to go for the "learning experience" of being homeless, you don't ask me for money. I've got no more patience and nothing to give --so have your damned learning experience on someone else's dime. I have family members who can't find work in Portland--who just left, actually, because of it.

Thank you. This is exactly my point.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

Well - for one thing, start making life miserable for these folks.

For a city of it's size, Chicago has some panhandling but not a lot.

The Chicago cops put the troublesome guys on the metra commuter rail train out to the suburbs.

The suburbs don't want them, so they arrest them. The homeless don't like that too much - so they leave the area.

(Maybe they go to Portland I don't know. All I know is that dirty slobs sitting in the street are not tolerated too much around here.)

That's great news, thanks for your post. One of my family members who could not find work in Portland recently went to Chicago to visit a cousin, applied for some jobs on a whim, and ended up with some very good offers One of them is at a restaurant that made Gourmet Magazine's list of the top 50 restaurants in the entire world.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by PDXBorn

Thank you. This is exactly my point.

It does get old, doesn't it? I love Oregon, and was born here like you. But even in the best of times, finding work is sketchy.

To those who insist on moving here and don't believe that getting some sort of survival job isn't going to be as difficult as some have tried to tell you--and in particular to the one who thinks that being homeless would be a "learning experience"....most of the people who used to donate heavily to homeless services are tapped out and fed up. Any extra money I have is going directly to family members who've been hit hard by this recession and quite a few of us here feel the same way.

And Doctor Rain...you may think that hiring managers may like you enough to put you at the front of the line, but it's more likely that they'll see an out of state resume/application and put you in the trash can. A lot of businesses put local applicants first, as they should.

I don't really blame anyone for wanting to explore their options and visit and look for work, but some of the posters here are blaming the messenger when people try to warn them about the job market.

I repeat...move out. But don't even think about asking me to help finance your learning adventure if you end up homeless, because I will give you less than nothing.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

That's great news, thanks for your post. One of my family members who could not find work in Portland recently went to Chicago to visit a cousin, applied for some jobs on a whim, and ended up with some very good offers One of them is at a restaurant that made Gourmet Magazine's list of the top 50 restaurants in the entire world.

But everyone's experience is difference -- I've had a number of relatives move back to Portland after losing and not being able to find employment elsewhere. And everyone's been able to find employment who's sought it. No one's unemployed, and no one's homeless.

My only complaint is people who come to this forum and ask some simple question about Portland, and someone always responds with horror tales about unemployment. When that had nothing to do with what they asked. I'm contemplating on picking a random warning, and posting it in every thread, regardless of the question asked.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

But everyone's experience is difference -- I've had a number of relatives move back to Portland after losing and not being able to find employment elsewhere. And everyone's been able to find employment who's sought it. No one's unemployed, and no one's homeless.

My only complaint is people who come to this forum and ask some simple question about Portland, and someone always responds with horror tales about unemployment. When that had nothing to do with what they asked. I'm contemplating on picking a random warning, and posting it in every thread, regardless of the question asked.

I think this is a good thing. I am looking to relocate and when I ask questions on other forums I appreciate people telling me something I didn't ask because I may not have thought to ask it. But it may be important.

Too many people think Oregon is a dream. It is not. It is a place. And they need to approach it with eyes wide open. For some reason, for some people, practical matters like jobs, COL or housing is something they don't choose to think about. Dreams don't need these things; reality does.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

But everyone's experience is difference -- I've had a number of relatives move back to Portland after losing and not being able to find employment elsewhere. And everyone's been able to find employment who's sought it. No one's unemployed, and no one's homeless.

My only complaint is people who come to this forum and ask some simple question about Portland, and someone always responds with horror tales about unemployment. When that had nothing to do with what they asked. I'm contemplating on picking a random warning, and posting it in every thread, regardless of the question asked.

That's good. But I'm talking specifically about people who come here and ask about "survival" type of jobs, and then state that they don't believe what people are telling them. Some of them act like we're flat out lying to them when we try to tell them how bad the job market really is. They don't believe it when people caution them to come prepared and bring living enough living expenses for 6 months at the very least.

Let them believe what they want. I sincerely wish them the best of luck. But I personally will give them nothing.

[Ryant]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

That's good. But I'm talking specifically about people who come here and ask about "survival" type of jobs, and then state that they don't believe what people are telling them. Some of them act like we're flat out lying to them when we try to tell them how bad the job market really is. They don't believe it when people caution them to come prepared and bring living enough living expenses for 6 months at the very least.

Let them believe what they want. I sincerely wish them the best of luck. But I personally will give them nothing.

The unemployment rate in Portland is less then a percent different then the national average. I don't see the point in bringing up unemployment ever time someone asks an unrelated question.