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Old 11-05-2009, 10:14 PM
 
Location: Iowa, Heartland of Murica
3,428 posts, read 6,284,706 times
Reputation: 3446

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If you are considering moving to MSP without a job, I would think twice. Our unemployment rate is currently at 8.5%, I know several people who are unemployed, underemployed or have just given up looking for a job. The Twin Cities job market ranked #66 out of 100 job markets and it will only get worse next year.

Twin Cities ranks No. 66 out of 100 job markets - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
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Old 11-06-2009, 09:28 AM
 
701 posts, read 1,698,382 times
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I think that moving anywhere without a job in this economy isn't a great idea--not just the Twin Cities. Yes, our unemployment rate is around 8.5% but the national rate is currently around 10%.

Where the jobs are available is completely dependent upon what you do for a living. I'm considering going back to work and I have found plenty of jobs (non-profit sector) that are attractive to me and pay well.

The people that I know that are currently unemployed/underemployed are highly-specialized tech people (i.e. trained to do one thing and can't easily apply those skills to a different job) or marketing people with MBAs--both areas that saw huge increases in people seeking those degrees in the last decade when demand was high and now that demand has slumped. I think that it's quite like the housing market (demand/prices were artificially high for a while and now it's leveled off).
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Old 11-06-2009, 11:12 AM
 
10,629 posts, read 26,623,399 times
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The Twin Cities has it a lot better than many parts of the country. Still, I wouldn't move anywhere without a job right now -- especially if I already had one somewhere else.
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Old 11-06-2009, 11:17 AM
 
Location: Minneapolis, MN
10,244 posts, read 16,276,294 times
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According to this source the unemployment rate in the Twin Cities metro area was 7.3% as of September.

Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas
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Old 11-06-2009, 02:15 PM
 
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 25,970,711 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slig View Post
According to this source the unemployment rate in the Twin Cities metro area was 7.3% as of September.

Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas
Up, and it was 10.5% in Atlanta. Neither is good, of course, but the Twin Cities seems to be doind fairly well relatively speaking. The real estate market was one of the main growth engines down here...
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Old 11-06-2009, 05:52 PM
 
207 posts, read 794,537 times
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I'm curious about what tech jobs you are referring to. I heard Minneaopolis is a great place for certain kinds of tech jobs. My partner currently works in Canada for a company specializing in precision optical components. He has a degree in Physics. He is hoping to eventually come here to live with me, either by finding a job or going back to school to get a degree in engineering so that he's less specialized.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarbaraMN View Post
I think that moving anywhere without a job in this economy isn't a great idea--not just the Twin Cities. Yes, our unemployment rate is around 8.5% but the national rate is currently around 10%.

Where the jobs are available is completely dependent upon what you do for a living. I'm considering going back to work and I have found plenty of jobs (non-profit sector) that are attractive to me and pay well.

The people that I know that are currently unemployed/underemployed are highly-specialized tech people (i.e. trained to do one thing and can't easily apply those skills to a different job) or marketing people with MBAs--both areas that saw huge increases in people seeking those degrees in the last decade when demand was high and now that demand has slumped. I think that it's quite like the housing market (demand/prices were artificially high for a while and now it's leveled off).
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Old 11-07-2009, 10:50 AM
 
Location: Iowa, Heartland of Murica
3,428 posts, read 6,284,706 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Isabel_009 View Post
I'm curious about what tech jobs you are referring to. I heard Minneaopolis is a great place for certain kinds of tech jobs. My partner currently works in Canada for a company specializing in precision optical components. He has a degree in Physics. He is hoping to eventually come here to live with me, either by finding a job or going back to school to get a degree in engineering so that he's less specialized.
Most people that I know that are unemployed are NOT specialized techies, I know a few who were in finance, some were executives, and they hold at least a MBA. I have a friend who has a MBA from Carlson working a temp project making 12/hr. It is unbelievable how people here in MN like to live in denial "I guess, we are doing pretty good compared to the nation", reality is, the job situation in the Twin Cities is absolutely pathetic. Go to any workforce center and you will understand what I am talking about, whoever said that there are plenty of positions in non-profit is also full of crap.
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Old 11-07-2009, 02:16 PM
 
10,629 posts, read 26,623,399 times
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I don't see anyone here saying that the job market in the Twin Cities is good. It IS doing okay compared to other places. The job situation between my friends and family in MN versus those in Southern CA is like night and day. It is much, much better to be in the Twin Cities right now: more jobs (relatively speaking) and lower cost of living. That's not denying that the situation is still bad.

All of that said, I still wouldn't move without a job lined up, but the big problem for would-be Minnesotans is that it's tougher to break into the job market from out-of-state (even if you're willing to pay for all relocation expenses) because there's still the vision that people don't want to move to MN, and will leave for greener pastures as soon as they can. When we were living elsewhere and applying for jobs back in MN you could practically see the difference it made when the people doing the interviewing realized that we had roots there. That's probably less of an issue for the big companies or for corporate transfers, but it is a catch-22 for those who want to move to the Twin Cities without any connections. It's a bad idea to move without a job lined up, but it's also going to be tough to get a job without a local address.
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Old 11-08-2009, 01:56 AM
 
Location: Minneapolis, MN
10,244 posts, read 16,276,294 times
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I think your buddy with the MBA isn't looking hard enough. I just looked and my office is hiring a few corporate support positions, we seem to lose somebody who goes to another company in the Twin Cities a few times a month. There are jobs out there, you just have to apply to 20 places a day and when you get the call back nail the interview. It isn't rocket science.
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Old 11-08-2009, 12:25 PM
 
Location: Saint Paul
200 posts, read 597,883 times
Reputation: 107
How good the job market is seems to depend on what you're looking for and who you know. Out of the people I know who have recently gotten hired, all of them already had their foot in the door or had some other sort of inside connection. For example, I have some acquaintances who recently obtained at least part-time jobs with the organization they volunteer for, and another friend who, after a string of short-term sub jobs, has been offered a long-term teaching job at the particular school she was subbing at. Not perfect, but it's better than no job at all and they all seem to be happy with what they have.

For anyone new moving to the TC...I suggest getting involved in the community -- volunteer, join some organizations, etc. Meeting people and establishing connections are very important in this economy. You never know where or from whom your next opportunity will come from.
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