RF design engineering jobs available? (Raleigh, Durham: job market, moving, relocate to)

[KT9595]

Hi everyone, my girlfriend is looking to relocate to the Raleigh/Durham area but is concerned about being able to find a job as an RF (radio frequency) design engineer. She has about 9 years of component design experience with several well known companies, e.g. motorola, rf microdevices.

As an NC native, I know for a fact that Raleigh/Durham gravitates some of the top engineering talents, particularly to the IT space. I'd appreciate any insight on the RF/Integrated Circuit job prospects in the area. Is there even such a market?

Thanks!

[new2nc]

There are a few RF jobs here but the past year a lot have gone away. Sony Ericsson probably had the most but I heard they scaled back operations. I think there are a lot of smaller companies, try looking at Careerbuilder to get an idea. I would not plan a move based on requiring her to get a job because she may not.

[NewUser]

new2nc is correct. I used to work at Sony Ericsson and they just laid off 400 of their 800 person workforce here in RTP back in October. Many of those people were engineers and some were RF engineers. Those engineers are now grabbing up any available RF engineer spots open within 50 miles. That said, I'd still recommend that you troll some of the job search engines. I just did a search on Indeed.com and found a handful of RF design engineer positions that have been posted in the last 30 days. Bottom line: I would not move here until at least one of you had a job lined up and you had a few months expenses saved up. Also remember that a new hire would be low on the totem pole if a round of layoffs came.

[jeffs555]

Here is a good site that pulls job listings from most of the web sites. All Engineer Rf Jobs in Raleigh, NC 27616 | Indeed.com
It has a few RF design jobs listed.

[NewUser]

Originally Posted by jeffs555

Here is a good site that pulls job listings from most of the web sites. All Engineer Rf Jobs in Raleigh, NC 27616 | Indeed.com
It has a few RF design jobs listed.

Great minds think alike. That is the same list that I was just referring to.

[KT9595]

Thanks for all your input. Job searching in a recessed economy certain creates some challenges. I currently reside in Cary and have a job. The ideal situation is for my girlfriend to land a job offer before moving here. We've also considered other locations if she is unable to find something within 6-12 months.

In normal economic conditions, how competitive is the job market in Raleigh? It is aparently that during times of layoff, the applicants-to-position ratio is much higher.