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The N&O is the local Triangle newspaper writing about the situation in the Triangle and I commented on an item that I thought was of interest to people in the Triangle reading this Triangle Forum. It's patently obvious to any reader that the same situation applies to all metro areas It is condescending to try and imply anything otherwise
It was not meant to be condescending and certainly was not directed at you. I made the statement because I do see people making the comments that our unemployment rate is higher when compared to other places because it is not the total rate. I just wanted to clarify that it is the same situation for any unemployment rate for people who fail to factor that in. The higher than stated rate applies to all areas in good times and in bad. It is never strictly the stated rate.
My apologies if I did not make that clear and offended in any way.
I know this is not commonly accepted among many Americans, but consider working overseas to offset lack of opportunities in the home country. Some American pilots have actually taken job contracts in the Middle East and are benefitting financially.
Yea, my husband falls into that category; he is a contractor in Iraq conducting inspections of the bases prior to transferring them to the Iraqis or closing the base. He is in the environmental engineering field. He's also been offered positions in Dubai and he has worked in Kuwait. He'll be coming home soon, probably to rejoin the ranks of underemployed. But he'll be back home with us.
That's not BAD news, that's GOOD news! That couple is SO fortunate to be able to clean houses rather than live on his $120K annual salary!
After all, think of all the exercise they'll get! Sure, he may be 62, and together they may now make less than $50K, but so what! They are so lucky, blessed really, to now be so active. It will probably add many years to their lives.
I think that everyone who wants to move to the Triangle should see what active lives people live now.
Are the opportunities for women in Dubai, Bahrain, and Qatar the same for women as for men? Does anyone know? I think I heard some areas are more progressive than others. Not sure if all of those are.
In general, there are more opportunities in the Gulf for males than females. Many western women I've seen there are stay-at-home wives who accompany their husbands, since some employers compensate for family relocation, housing, private school etc.
However, there are still opportunities for women there. I've seen expatriate women work in jobs like IT, accounting, health care and hospitality (hotels, resorts). Bahrain, UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, etc.), Kuwait and Qatar are more socially progressive than Saudi Arabia.
It's about older workers - over 55. While it shares one women's story, it also has some sobering national statistics. I do know people in the triangle going through the same only they don't have the cushion the woman in the story has. Some are on CD. Some have lived here for yrs, another is a newcomer.
Here's a sobering quote from this article:
"because it will take years to absorb the giant pool of unemployed at the economy’s recent pace, many of these older people may simply age out of the labor force before their luck changes."
I know this is not commonly accepted among many Americans, but consider working overseas to offset lack of opportunities in the home country. Some American pilots have actually taken job contracts in the Middle East and are benefitting financially.
It's a lot easier for pilots though. For one spouses are accustomed to them being gone 50% of the time. For another, it is fairly easy to travel back and forth hopping a ride (can ride up front in the jumpseat). I know guys who have gone overseas, and while the pay is good and taxes are non-existant, it is still tough. A lot of guys do it for a year or two, then come back to the States and buy a house with cash. That way their cost of living is reduced.
I've seen a good number of Europeans, Aussies and New Zealanders work in other industries; mostly in construction and minerals but also in office jobs such as IT project management and hospitality. Yes, it is a tough arrangement but some of them are able to bring families along (ideally, as part of the compensation package).
The good part though is that if a sufficient number of a country's workforce has the proven option to work overseas, it drives up salary levels in the home country. I'm originally from the Philippines and I've seen this play out before where I came from.
Highly skilled and educated people who can get nothing but menial jobs, and then suggestions that to get a good job you need to go overseas. This whole thread is a sad comment on the direction the US is heading.
Well, it's been heading this way for quite a long time, starting, I think, when U.S. jobs started going overseas and foreign companies started buying up the United States (long before the current administration).
If I wasn't already happily (and gratefully) employed, I'd probably be considering an overseas assignment.
I wonder how many Americans have taken that step. It was part of the storyline in the recent version of the movie, "Karate Kid." The little boy's mother moved to China(!) for a job because she couldn't find one in the U.S., and they made it sound like it was a permanent move.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffs555
Highly skilled and educated people who can get nothing but menial jobs, and then suggestions that to get a good job you need to go overseas. This whole thread is a sad comment on the direction the US is heading.
Highly skilled and educated people who can get nothing but menial jobs, and then suggestions that to get a good job you need to go overseas. This whole thread is a sad comment on the direction the US is heading.
The reality is that employers are biased towards cheaper workers. It has less to do with jobs going overseas. The level of wages has been declining for the last 20+ years, meaning wages were on the way down even when domestic employment was up. When the economy picks up again, businesses will prefer to hire younger, cheaper workers rather than absorb older workers at their previous wages. They are also more inclined to use technology and automation to replace human labor.
What then does this bode for salaried professionals? Simple. Workers whose only option is to stick to one country will be marginalized by local employers. To avoid being marginalized, they would need to demonstrate the option to work in other places where employers are willing to pay them a higher wage.
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It is condescending to try and imply anything otherwise
