Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Louisiana > New Orleans
 [Register]
New Orleans New Orleans - Metairie - Kenner metro area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-01-2011, 08:07 PM
 
34 posts, read 136,169 times
Reputation: 22

Advertisements

#1 worst city in America for finding a job. Bummer, but they blame Katrina.

Worst Cities for Finding a Job in 2011 - Yahoo! Real Estate

Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 03-05-2011 at 03:28 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-02-2011, 05:40 AM
 
41 posts, read 124,236 times
Reputation: 16
I heard they were also blaming the oil spill? :/
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-02-2011, 12:13 PM
 
Location: Louisiana to Houston to Denver to NOVA
16,505 posts, read 26,089,407 times
Reputation: 13275
Hey, at least we're number 1 in something.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-02-2011, 05:33 PM
 
145 posts, read 623,667 times
Reputation: 139
This article was written by someone who obviously doesn't live here, and hasn't set foot in this town in the past 5 years. Such blanket statements like "New Orleans has never fully recovered" are so flawed. Where are the facts, where is the data? Job postings are a terrible metric for job availability. Is it hard to find a job here? I'm sure it is, but I find it hard to believe that it's harder to find a job in New Orleans, than in a city with double-digit unemployment like Los Angeles or Las Vegas.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-04-2011, 03:15 PM
 
1,350 posts, read 2,290,746 times
Reputation: 959
That article is crap...it is very easy to find work here...much easier than Atlanta right now.

If you are skilled and educated...jobs are VERY easy to find here.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-04-2011, 08:08 PM
 
194 posts, read 543,170 times
Reputation: 181
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prytania View Post
That article is crap...it is very easy to find work here...much easier than Atlanta right now.

If you are skilled and educated...jobs are VERY easy to find here.
...and confident, and motivated! Same as anywhere else. I've seen less-skilled people easily get jobs while others (more qualified) in the same field stayed unemployed, all because of a difference in attitude. Surrounding oneself with negativity and reading stupid articles and statistics are sure-fire methods for staying unemployed (and spiraling ever downward!). I've seen it happen with friends, family and acquaintances since I was a little kid.

Example: My dad lost his longtime, very well-paying sales job when I was still a teenager, and it was a huge blow to the family. There were no jobs available anywhere in the area for someone with his background. Fortunately, he "got back on the horse" and was out training for a different (yes, lower paying) job within a week. Within two years he was making more money than ever and was a district manager in charge of most of the state of GA for his company.

Also, he's not a super-motivated person and I have no doubt that he would've sunk into major negativity and lost a lot of steam if he had sat around looking for want ads in his specific field until his unemployment ran out. I don't think he ever collected any unemployment. I say that to illustrate that it's not just "go-getters" who can do that sort of thing. It really is all about attitude. I mean, I wouldn't try to open a surf shop in North Dakota, but most people can make most anything work with enough determination. It's the self-doubt (which we all have to a certain degree, at least sometimes) that throws that brick wall up in front of us and blocks off the ability to see opportunities and come up with new ideas. Get rid of that and it doesn't matter what some dumb article says!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-05-2011, 11:12 AM
 
1 posts, read 4,037 times
Reputation: 10
the person that made the comment about having the skills /education to find a job in some ways its true and some ways its not because Im in possession of a BS in Business and presently working on my MBA in business when I graduated with my BS degreee I couldn't find work due to not having any experience in the field well my question is how the hell do you get the experience if no one will take a chance on hiring you I got my degree in 2009 and was laid off 2 weeks after i got it and haven't worked sense this was sort of why I chose to go back to work on my MBA and I'll be done in Dec of yr2011
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-05-2011, 01:17 PM
 
Location: City of Central
1,837 posts, read 4,332,653 times
Reputation: 951
If I were a business owner , and needed to hire someone for a particular position , I would definitely look for someone with experience . Let somebody else take a chance on a newcomer . That's just how the business world operates . A college degree does not guarantee you a job in your chosen field . Those days are LONG gone .
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-06-2011, 01:09 PM
 
152 posts, read 477,825 times
Reputation: 82
Quote:
Originally Posted by dal2aus View Post
This article was written by someone who obviously doesn't live here, and hasn't set foot in this town in the past 5 years. Such blanket statements like "New Orleans has never fully recovered" are so flawed. Where are the facts, where is the data? Job postings are a terrible metric for job availability. Is it hard to find a job here? I'm sure it is, but I find it hard to believe that it's harder to find a job in New Orleans, than in a city with double-digit unemployment like Los Angeles or Las Vegas.
You obviously havent toured the greater new orleans area and counted the total number of vacant and still abandoned houses around over the past 5 years. The statement "New Orleans has never fully recovered" is actually rather true. City Park still has a large percentage of overgrown areas reflecting non-use and the administrations belief that there are not enough people around willing to use those parts. Just because they are building brand new tennis courts and such doesn't mean a thing. You must live uptown or in Jefferson Parish because if you have even stepped foot in the east in the past month you would notice a vast majority of the blocks contain houses that remain in disrepair. Even Lakeview you can expect to see at least 2 vacant lots per block if not more! There is still a major struggle for housing, and its my opinion that these new mixed income places are making it worse. I cant understand how they expect to charge $800-1325 for an apartment in River Garden on Felicity. That's the development near the Walmart uptown if I'm not mistaken, River Garden on Felicity Rentals in New Orleans, LA. The same development accepts section 8. I feel like I am stuck priced out of apartments because I make too much to qualify, and really wouldnt qualify, for assistance but I don't make enough to afford to pay sticker price for an apartment here. I'm happy for you if you can afford that kind of rent but I cant. I'm going to need to start looking for an apartment in 2 months and feel like I'm going to end up living in my truck.

Salaries here are crap. The article noted that they set a floor of $50,000 for the jobs counted. That may be the one and only reason we hit the #1 spot. Ive talked to many people in this city that actually feel 50k is a lot! Its not, it really isnt. Imagine if you go by the rule of thumb, 30% of your income for rent/mortgage. Ive never been sure if they meant before or after taxes, but I like to calculate after taxes. I cant imagine a reasonable budget that allocates between 55% and 70% of your total income to taxes and rent... Anyways, after taxes on 50k that leaves you taking home maybe around $1,500 every two weeks. $3,000 per month, thats $900 in this budget plan for rent/mortgage. That number aligns perfectly with $800 minimum rent cost at River Garden. So from my quick observations, making a salary less than $45,00-50,000 you would HAVE to get assistance to live there. This morning I skimmed craigslist and found maybe 4 apartments I could afford between New Orleans and Metairie/Kenner. Given the amount of scams on craigslist I cant imagine how many of the 4 were true listings.

I agree their way of determining difficulty may be flawed, but still reflects the difficulty. A more accurate measure may have been an approximation of unemployed compared to job postings (total population * local unemployment rate/jobs listed with an expected salary >= $50,000). I think though that when it comes down to it, finding a job is not soley about availability. Too many times I find people under the impression that "in this economy" its best just to take any job you can find. I feel that kind of sentiment is garbage. I look at my own situation and realize that if I were making anything less than what I am making I WOULD SURELY be homeless. In June I begin repaying student loans and looking at a payment of around $550-650 if i don't qualify for any deferments or alternative payment schedules. Add to that roughly between $600 and $800 for rent and already my monthly budget for expenses that I cant change totals between $1150 and $1450. Add to that food, gas, insurance, utilities, and credit card payments and I have easily hit the $3000 per month income need. I don't ever think I will have medical coverage, honestly I haven't been to the doctor for 3 years now. I haven't been to a dentist in 10 years. So over all I definitely agree with the $50,000 bottom limit to salaries as that is what would roughly be needed to live here.

I think listings are rather accurate for availability. I think most people here are too used to the GOB way of finding a job. Some have the sentiment that the jobs posted on sites like craigslist, monster, careerbuilder, indeed, ladders, etc. are not the only jobs available. Ironically though, if they aren't posted somewhere like the classifieds, how is someone out of the loop expected to find them? Go door to door to every business in the city with resumes and beg for a list of available jobs? One's time would be better spent delivering pizza and taping resumes to the boxes.

I recently graduated and have found that this area has such a limited selection of industries. There is nothing here in the field that I studied for someone with no experience, and my degree is a B.S. in C.S. I am crippled by that lack of experience. I wish I could have participated in an internship, however I was working full time while in school. My current job, which is the one I had during college, has nothing to do with the IT industry. I don't even use a computer at work. It seems no one has the revenue stream to justify hiring recent graduates and train them. If they do they offer way lower than a living wage.

$36,468... Thats the median income level this very site has listed for New Orleans. That means 50% of the New Orleans population makes less than that number, and 50% makes more than that number. What that means is 50% of the working/earning population cant afford to live on a rule of thumb budget in the mixed income apartments of River Garden. What that means is you are screwed because ,"
How to Apply for HCVP

The HCVP Waiting List is currently closed. Applications were taken in September 2009 and more than 30,000 applications were received. A lottery was conducted and applicants were assigned a lottery number, which is their place on the waiting list.

While on the waiting list, you must notify the housing authority in writing of any change in your address or household composition. If you do not update your information, you may lose your place on the waiting list. Changes should be mailed to: Housing Authority of New Orleans, Section 8 Waiting List, 4100 Touro Street., New Orleans, LA 70122. Please include your name, social security number, old address, and new address. You may also email the changes by following this link."



Take a look at this list http://www.hano.org/Documents%5CHCVP%5CRental_Listings%5CHANO%20HCVP%2 0%20Property%20%20Listing%20-%20030111.pdf (broken link)


Note the rent rates. What I'm getting at is the rent you would have to pay to live here will exceed what you should be able to afford on the garbage salaries they are willing to pay. No wonder the waiting list for assistance has been full since 2009!



Now this was all about jobs and availability. There are a multitude of jobs being offered but with the salaries being offered, the number of applicants you are competing with, the cost of living here, and the limited spectrum of business and industry types in the area I absolutely see how it is possible to rank us high on the list. Its not about finding just a job, any old job. Its about finding employment that pays sufficient wages to live in the location where that employment is located. Something that allows for upward advancement and savings for a more stable financial life. Its about finding a job that doesn't force you to live in the same housing situation as someone making below the poverty threshold. Its about finding something that justifies paying exorbitant amounts of money for self improvement through academics and non-reimbursed education costs. There is no point in higher literacy levels if the majority of the population must settle for hole digging labor jobs. How often must one read to dig a hole? The day I graduated the only "pomp and circumstance" I felt was the disheartening truth that I was officially overqualified for my job and yet still unable to advance, despite my intentions of removing myself from manual labor by achieving a bachelors degree. It was a waste of money and time.



And yes we are not FULLY recovered from Katrina. Go take a 30 minute drive east on I-10! or a cruise around Lakeview. Maybe while I'm off work tomorrow Ill burn through my savings buying gas and drive around Orleans parish to count the vacant, not rebuilt houses and lots for you all. Its easy to overlook the amount of work that still needs to be completed. We are all so used to seeing vacant lots every single day, and are so easily distracted by the "dog and pony show" of new government buildings and infrastructure being erected.

Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 03-06-2011 at 01:35 PM.. Reason: inappropriate language
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-06-2011, 03:12 PM
 
194 posts, read 543,170 times
Reputation: 181
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nico82NO View Post
Maybe while I'm off work tomorrow Ill burn through my savings buying gas and drive around Orleans parish to count the vacant, not rebuilt houses and lots for you all. Its easy to overlook the amount of work that still needs to be completed. We are all so used to seeing vacant lots every single day, and are so easily distracted by the "dog and pony show" of new government buildings and infrastructure being erected.
Sorry, I don't have time to read all that. I'm too busy enjoying this awesome city while occasionally volunteering to help with things that do need improvement. The good far, far outweighs the bad here, and anyone who thinks otherwise of the place they're living needs to help fix it or find somewhere they like better.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Louisiana > New Orleans
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top