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Will you move? "Megan McGown, vice president of economic development and marketing at the North Platte Area Chamber of Commerce and Development Corporation, said her Nebraska city — population roughly 24,000 — needs people to work in factories, warehouses, medical centers and the railroad. About 500 jobs sit open.
“Those who can work are working, so we’re always in need of additional people,” McGown said. “You can’t drive around town without seeing a ‘help wanted’ sign.”
North Platte’s population hasn’t budged much since 2004. Under this pressure, business leaders and members of the City Council hatched plans to lure more people to town.
First, they offered $12,000 checks to developers for each new house, figuring growth in the area's health-care and manufacturing industries required more lodging. Then they agreed to match signing bonuses paid to newcomers by up to $5,000. So far, two people have received the bonuses — both for a total of $10,000: a lawyer and a physical therapist. (Workers must make at least $20 an hour to be eligible.)
The program is funded through a half-cent sales tax.
“People don’t want to see companies move away because they can’t find workers,” she said."
I've never heard of North Platte, Nebraska, so I looked it up:
My advice: Quite a few people complain a lot about their employment but they refuse to take action to fix it. When you find an opportunity, sometimes it takes a leap of faith to act. Those who act get results.
Would be a good deal. Also, since this city is so hard up for workers, it would be harder for new workers to be fired unless they turned out to be real incompetent. So less pressure to do well and would probably get treated better than the average worker anywhere else.
In my situation I am forced to stay for a good job. I hate living in Illinois but if I left I'd take a huge paycut or not have a job at all or get to pay with staffing agencies again in my awful profession. My job is the only reason left I stay in Illinois.
Not if it’s the private sector. Most of these jobs are not guaranteed long term positions anymore and as soon as some overpaid toad corporate exec wants to bigger yacht, out to the curb you go. It’s not worth it just moving to fill some gap on a company’s org chart for a few years only be kicked to the curb like weekly trash. The only way that should be considered is if you manage to snatch a great position with a Buttload of money and sock it away. If you’re just moving for 40-60k a year, it’s not worth it. Since no private sector job is guaranteed anymore to last more than a few years
A federal job then yes I would say it’s worth moving for. You know your job won’t be Elminated within a few years chances are just due to some higher ups GREED. You’re better off just staying in your local area honestly. What’s the point of moving and uprooting your family just to chances are be laid off in a few years?
I've done it multiple times since I graduated college - it's essential to build experience, IMO. You gotta move to where the money is at and/or grow your skills. I had to pay my dues by growing some quality experience in less desirable towns. I'm now back to living in a much more enjoyable city after my last two jobs in sub-par locations. It taught me a lot about living in other parts of the country and what I like & don't like.
I have little sympathy for folks who complain "no jobs in muh town!!" and make excuses for not looking elsewhere (aside from extremely unique circumstances). Open up your search; you might learn something about yourself down the road.
The program run by North Platte is interesting, but only applies to a select few jobs. You must land a job paying >$20/hour, AND the hiring company has to provide a signing bonus.
That leaves an entire category of jobs unaddressed.
I would take the bonus if I were interested in a job in that area, but that isn’t enough money to entice me to move to a very rural part of Nebraska.
My SIL has background in lean strategy/project management/with some SCRUM exposure
He grew up in rural, north MS and always wanted to live by the beach--
He moved to Sarasota area after going to college in Atlanta and living there for few yrs after graduation...once he started working job where he just needed to be near an airport, he relocated and bought small 1/1 condo across the street from the beach--has slice of view of it from his condo's lanai...
He has changed jobs 3 times in past 6 or so years---the last two were short-lived, about 6-7 months each and took him almost that same amount of time to find...
They have paid less than the project mgmt job he had
He is out of work now but he (and our daughter) refuse to consider moving to another area for a decent job...
While he has a good skill set, is intelligent and great building teams, he has no engineering degree or IT degree--just general business/marketing (but hasn't done mkt since graduation)
Most of the jobs that pay well in the SRQ area are in healthcare/finance/IT
He COULD do almost any job that required operation/project mgmt but he doesn't get any call backs...
He is 45==his window is closing rapidly to find a quality job with a stronger company--
Last job he had was with a startup in employment placement and ran out of money--
He has too much experience for entry-level job where he could apply general knowledge/experience to learn more industry-specific skills--even if he was willing to work for entry level salary...
that is too threatening to most HR people to give him a chance...
There are plenty of jobs related to his background in DFW area where our daughter is from and they already have friends--SIL's best friend from college lives in FLower Mound for instance---but that in "inland"--not by the ocean...
The funny thing we just don't understand is that despite all the talk of loving the beach, they rarely go there, rarely go salt-water fishing which is another reason he gives for not wanting to move inland...
We moved for work when my husband was younger--once to Shreveport LA for about 4 yrs and then back to TX but to DFW area vs Houston where we moved after college...
My husband was unemployed several times after moving to DFW--
We would have relocated to almost anyplace with a strong employment offer
And we had friends and family we would have hated to move away from in TX but the offers just weren't there at that time....he was in O/G and the industry was in downturn and TX was best place for finding another job--more contacts working there than anywhere
Re the OP's post--
I think that location doesn't have lot to offer except employment---
Most people who move for jobs want decent housing, great schools, and other types of amenities---maybe outdoor activities, maybe access to arts like performance venues, live-music, maybe higher education/college--and good medical care
I don't know how that area stacks up re other desireable features
The fact that the city is trying to encourage housing growth is a positive but does it really have the "infrastructure" to entice people away from where they are now?
People don't want just jobs--they want "lifestyle"...
I'd moved before because of economic reasons, but these very rural areas have additional problems. I moved from a small metro in an isolated area to much larger major metros.
If you move to a very rural county and anything happens, you're likely moving again. This North Platte place looks like it's at least fifty miles from a city of 50,000+ - maybe much farther. What do you do for shopping? Recreation? Making friends and social connections in such a small community is going to be hard. I'm in a metro of about 200,000. If something happen to my job, I'd probably have to move to stay above $20/hr or so. There just isn't much IT work here. On a personal level, where I am is too small and isolated.
I used to work in an extremely rural area of southwest Virginia. It was pretty isolated, obviously not a fraction as isolated as somewhere in BFE Nebraska. At the time (2012), there was no municipal water outside the city limits, no cellular service, and no broadband outside the city limits. It was half an hour down a steep mountain road to a town of 10,000, and about 45 minutes to the nearest Sam's Club, movie theater, etc.
I would need to make at least twice what I do to live somewhere in rural Nebraska. With that said, I lived in Iowa for a year back in 2012 and drove through Nebraska twice. I was very, very impressed with Lincoln, but after that, it's like falling off the face of the earth.
Have stopped in North Platte once during a moving trip too. It's home to the largest train yard in the US or the world. And a walmart. That's all I know, stopped there to get breakfast lol.
My advice: Quite a few people complain a lot about their employment but they refuse to take action to fix it. When you find an opportunity, sometimes it takes a leap of faith to act. Those who act get results.
I don't disagree, in general. I pulled up the North Platte site, and did not see many jobs listed worth relocating there for unless you are a nurse or med tech.
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