Job Opportunities in the Tucson Area (Phoenix, Pima: real estate, hotels, job openings)

[johnny12]

My sister in law & husband visited Tucson & may be buying a "winter" place there. She suggested it's the type of place I would really like, so I've been researching, but have not yet visited. I have found that the University and City of Tucson are some of the larger employers. I have plenty of office/customer service experience but have had trouble finding something decent in my current state. To be eligible for a state position where I currently live(office asst, secretary, etc) you have to pass an exam. I have passed several with very high scores but have not been able to secure a position. And just to be clear, I am a hard-working individual with great references. The thing that gets you the job around here is knowing the person who is doing the hiring. I realize this is common, especially in this economy, but is it just as prevalent in Tucson's larger employers?
I have read about the employment situation in other Tucson threads, but would like to know more about these employers. I am particularly interested in working for the University because I would like the opportunity to take classes. Is that one of the benefits of working for the University?(It is at the Univs in my area). I will not be moving anywhere for several years, but I would like to get some insight from locals. Thanks!

[Jukesgrrl]

To address your one specific question, Tucson isn't any different than where you live now in terms of having to "know the person who is doing the hiring." As for your wish, almost everyone who needs a job in Tucson would like to work at the University of Arizona. It's the area's second largest employer and one with a wide variety of positions.

The top ten employers in Tucson are:
1. Raytheon (about 12,000 employees)
2. University of Arizona
3. State of Arizona
4. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
5. Tucson Unified School District
6. Walmart
7. Pima County
8. U.S. Army Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca
9. City of Tucson
10. Phelps-Dodge Mining (4,900 employees)

You will see that only numbers 1, 6, and 10 are private employers with number 6 hiring mostly part-time workers. The state, county, and city are all trying to get rid of employees instead of hiring new ones. Now that we can look forward to another Republican governor from Phoenix, it's not likely the state is going to be sending any cash Tucson's way. In the rare occasions when there are positions open, people with deep ties to the community tend to get the city, county, and state jobs.

I've lived in five states and used to teach at a university. Of any place I've ever personally encountered, U of A is most likely to hire its own graduates instead of people with degrees from out of state. I don't know if that's true of the other universities in the state, but MANY people who graduate from the U of A want to remain in Tucson and are often willing to compromise on salary and career goals to do it. Since the U of A has approximately 40,000 students at any given time, that's a lot of people looking for entry-level jobs here every year.

If you aren't in the military or don't have the kind of engineering backgrounds required by Raytheon or one of the mining companies, that leaves companies employing about 3,000 people or far fewer. Hospitals and other medical facilities predominate on that list. The hospitality industry used to be big, but many of the larger resorts/hotels/spas in the area are in bad financial shape, still not having recovered from the economic downturn. Tucson's biggest industry is retirement. Therefore businesses serving the needs of older people (healthcare, leisure activities, and economy-anything) predominate. Those tend to be low-paying positions.

Other things to keep in mind: Arizona is a right to work state; there is little union influence here. As a result, salaries tend to be lower than in states with a history of unionism. I looked for a job for a solid year before I found one when I moved to Pima County and I ended up with one paying 25% of what I made when I had a corporate job in Pennsylvania. In fact, more than 20% of Pima County residents live below the Federal poverty level. The unemployment rate in Tucson, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, was 6.4% in September, compared to the national rate of 5.8%.

So if you do move here, you'd do well to secure employment before you actually move unless you are bolstered by a healthy bank account. There are many wonderful reasons to like Tucson, but the employment picture isn't one, unfortunately. Not to say no one here ever gets a job. You could find something. The question is, will it pay enough for you to live on?

Here's another C-D thread that discusses employment:
Grim picture of Tucson painted without leaders' 'awakening'

And an article about employment from the University's newspaper The Daily Wildcat:
Arizona Daily Wildcat :: Low ranking education system, high unemployment rates earn Tucson sixth-poorest in nation

[johnny12]

Thanks for the reply Jukesgrrl! Seems like the whole country is basically in the same situation to some degree or another. What prompted my post, I was looking at job openings in Tucson & did see some for both U of A & the city, but like in my area, they are posted because they are required to. Actually getting the job is another story. I won't be moving until my daughter graduates HS in a few years, but I'm hoping to visit your city soon

[beTucsonan]

Originally Posted by johnny12

they are posted because they are required to

This is hugely important for people to understand, so many "posted" jobs are just posted for the sake of it and the job is often filled already.

Something to carefully consider is that Tucson doesn't have a lot of jobs and therefore the competition for them can be high, so since you sound like you have some years between you and a move I would really work on firming up your skill set in a particular area. I don't want to read too much into your initial post but it sounded like "office/customer service" experience which is basically what every single person in this city already has thanks to the many, many call centers. If you can identify and pursue a particular specialty that will really help you regardless of where, or if, you decide to move.

Finally, a small warning that thanks to the dramatic underpayment of their employees, the UA is not a great or even a particularly sought-after employer outside of potential education benefits (and be sure to double check about those as they pertain to 1) the department you will be working for and 2) the particular course of study you are hoping to partake of).

[grmi66]

For what it's worth, I'm a U of A grad and worked the typical slacker jobs of retail or restaurant work while in college. My last job in college was working at a bike shop. After being away from the bike shop for 20 years, I went in a few months ago to say hello to the owner and see what the shop looks like now. Needless to say that I was surprised to see a few of my old co-workers still wrenching in the shop. Talked to one guy and despite having a masters degree, would rather make $12 an hour working in a bike shop rather than move out of Tucson to find a real job. Quite of few of my friends that remained in Tucson have moved up from being coffee shop or bike shop employees to being the manager of their respective shops. Only know one that made the leap to owning his own coffee shop.

The few really successful people that I went to school with or worked with when I lived in Tucson used their family connections to get them hired in banking, finance or real estate related jobs.

I thought about moving back a few years ago to be closer to friends & family, checked out the employment picture and decided to stay in Phoenix.