Finding Work in Louisville? (Lexington, California: houses, job market, construction)

[anywherebuthere78]

My boyfriend and I will be moving from Southern California to Louisville in July. We are moving there because I got my dream job in the city, but we are both worried about his ability to find work once we arrive. He is not a college graduate, and nearly all of his work experience is in retail or construction. I will make enough money that he doesn't have to find something amazing, but I don't make enough to support us both so we can't afford for him to be unemployed for more than a few months. The part of So Cal where we currently live has been murder on the job market the last few years so I'm hoping it will be better in Louisville, but I'm really terrified of going through another year where he only brings home $400 a month (he has only been able to find part-time work out here). Thoughts? Words of wisdom? Hope?

[tomocox]

Likely, he'll be able to find work with UPS as a package handler but even that isn't a certainty. He may be very hirable as a school bus driver (good job in JCPS). Some retail stores were beginning to hire again, not sure now due to the oil prices.

[kytoaz]

this is the land of milk and honey compared to socal. i'm sure he'll do fine as long as he keeps his options open and hits the pavement hard.

the cost of living here is going to be quite a pleasant suprise to you both.
people from socal freak when they see what housing costs are here. i mean they freak in a good way, of course!
welcome and good luck.

[anywherebuthere78]

Just wanted to say thank you both for responding, and yes, we are already freaking out in a good way about the housing costs. My bf is just worried because it took him a year (!?!?) just to find the part-time job he has now, but we are in a part of So Cal that has been even harder hit than the rest of the state so hopefully the process will be quicker in Louisville!

[EclecticEars]

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of the end of February 2011:

Orange County, California had an unemployment rate of 8.9%.

Jefferson County, Kentucky (known as Louisville) had an unemployment rate of 11.0%.

Neither rate is seasonally adjusted.

Personally, I'd live in Orange County any day over any place in Kentucky given my druthers, but that's just me. You're probably in L.A. County or the Inland Empire, if my guess is correct, where the UE rates are notably higher in most communities.

Louisville will bode well if you want a substantially cheaper cost of living, more greenery and a slower pace of life. But your boyfriend is statistically more likely to find a job in the OC. Plus, I believe California added 100,000 new jobs just during the month of March alone (although, if I had to guess, the majority of those jobs were actually in Northern California.)

[anywherebuthere78]

Thanks for the info; yes, we are currently in the I.E. so, sadly, an 11% unemployment rate doesn't actually sound that bad. After getting your post, I looked up the more recent (March 2011) figures, and they said Louisville: 10.2% and I.E.: 13.7%. I think the Orange County figures might be low because it is a richer community - so it's not that there are so many jobs there, but that if people couldn't find jobs, then many would have had to move away anyway.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by anywherebuthere78

Thanks for the info; yes, we are currently in the I.E. so, sadly, an 11% unemployment rate doesn't actually sound that bad. After getting your post, I looked up the more recent (March 2011) figures, and they said Louisville: 10.2% and I.E.: 13.7%. I think the Orange County figures might be low because it is a richer community - so it's not that there are so many jobs there, but that if people couldn't find jobs, then many would have had to move away anyway.

I see your point. And even the OC communities closest to the IE, i.e.: Yorba Linda, Santa Ana, Fullerton, Anaheim (and Anaheim Hills) can still be a long haul from the IE, made even longer with the 91's traffic. Although, Rancho Santa Margarita has a low unemployment rate, I believe, but it is a wealthy community.

Fayette and Woodford Counties in the Lexington metropolitan area and Calloway and Hopkins Counties in western Kentucky have even lower unemployment rates than Louisville. Naturally, though, the largest raw number of opportunities for jobs in the state will be in Jefferson County.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do! I'm actually wanting to move to California myself.

[The Dissenter]

I wish your boyfriend luck. It took me 8 months to find a permanent full-time job after moving here from DC/Northern VA (before you say what were you thinking, I absolutely HATED living there). Apply at UPS, Zappos.com, Kelly Services, or some of the warehouses in Sheperdsville. Don't be opposed to temp part-time work, that is how I got through winter.