Orlando: No.1 in tourism and dead last in wages. Orlando Sentinel (Palm Bay: hair salon, real estate)

[annerk]

Originally Posted by boy3365

I was speaking hypothetically. Let's say that we got our wish and six months from now, we miraculously had a steady influx of high paying jobs. The non-college educated hospitality industry worker won't be eligible for the $50K or the always unspecified "living wage" jobs anyway. How would that make their lives better?

The only way I could see McDonald's, Walmart, etc. offering that much pay is if a large chunk of their current CFL employees are engineers, accountants, etc. just waiting for something better to open in the area. I did hear about cities in North Dakota where retailers are paying really high wages because people are moving there in droves for drilling-related jobs. However, that's probably because no one outside of that industry wants to live in North Dakota. I don't think we have a "no one wants to live here" problem.

So, in my opinion, having more high paying industries in Orlando will attract college grads to move or stay here, but the person who doesn't have the education/skills and who is not trying to improve them will always have that $8-$10/hour retail/hospitality/tourism job, and we have plenty of them for the long haul.

Again, as better paying jobs are created, more and more people will be hired in ALL industries. As the labor pool (of good workers, I'm not talking about the bottom of the barrel that no one wants anyhow) shrinks, employers will be forced to pay more to attract and retain good employees. That's exactly what happened in the boon years when u/e dropped to 2%. The people who were unemployed were unemployed for a reason. They had bad work ethic, criminal records, tattoos on their face, chronic issues with employment that led to bad references (ie chronic lateness, chronic childcare issues, inability to get along with others, or overall poor job performance, or inability to prove the right to work in the US.) That subset isn't going to ever have long term meaningful employment, and isn't part of this conversation.

Disney had to up the ante during that timeframe. They held job fairs throughout the area every single week and hired on the spot. They also had to increase pay and perks in order to attract and retain, particularly after UNiversal and Sea World raised their bars.

When did you move to the area? I'm guessing you missed the boon years from 2002-2007. It was a very different rodeo around here then.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by tinytrump

The Unlikely Cities That Will Power the U.S. Economy

We are #57 in 100 cities who have STEM Occupations. We also pay $70K a yr. vs $120K in San Jose CA--- but, they pay $92K in Huntsville AL- go figure!

read further: pay vs cost of living

Huntsville $92K - 97.4%

Orlando $69,490 -104.8%

in FL Tampa $69,680 -97.6%

JAX $70,900 -100.8%

Miami $67,450 -119.7%



San Jose $120,300 - 221.3%


just graduated- where would you go? big company where would you build?

Just graduated I'd go where there was the most growth potential and least amount of competition as well as where there were industries that interested me. If I wanted a career in biotech I would be looking closely at Orlando, Northern/Central NJ, or Boston. If I wanted a career in aerotech I'd be looking at Huntsville, Houston, LA, and Orlando. If I wanted a job in financial services or HR tech I'd be looking in San Francisco, New York, or Chicago.

Building--I'd go to the place that offered my company the best tax incentives. It's cheaper to relo people (and write those costs off) and get a significant corporate income and property tax break than pay full ride taxes.

Companies can build anywhere. I'd also say that in high tech it's a different world, and people look at corporate culture a lot more than they do in most other industries.

A company with a ping pong table and fridge stocked with beer on Friday in Orlando might be a lot more attractive than a company with a business attire dress code and set 8-5 hours in Huntsville.

I'll also say that San Jose is an outlier due to the extremely high cost of living and high income and property taxes. You simply can't compare it against anyplace in the Southeast. Not even close.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by tinytrump

The Unlikely Cities That Will Power the U.S. Economy

We are #57 in 100 cities who have STEM Occupations. We also pay $70K a yr. vs $120K in San Jose CA--- but, they pay $92K in Huntsville AL- go figure!

read further: pay vs cost of living

Huntsville $92K - 97.4%

Orlando $69,490 -104.8%

in FL Tampa $69,680 -97.6%

JAX $70,900 -100.8%

Miami $67,450 -119.7%



San Jose $120,300 - 221.3%


just graduated- where would you go? big company where would you build?

$70k will go further in Orlando than $120k in San Jose imo

[Joey Falcon]

Orlando does not have great jobs, and does not attract skilled people who are college-trained. That is not who moves here. Look around you next time you are outside.

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by annerk

People make bad choices and have to live with them. They have kids they can't afford. They move here with no savings and no marketable skills.

What can we do about it? Not much, unfortunately. You can't fix stupid.

I think this is the elitist attitude the OP was referring too, blaming the poor for being poor. Annerk you have made these sort of elitist comments before and to a degree sound like a judgmental bully. This is America whether people have no savings or as you call it marketable skills. There is a way for the poor to fight back, but it would take a huge lifestyle change. Most Americans that are quote unquote successful dont earn their success. They are given it or born into it. They very few that did earn it are so resentful by the time they get there, they become judgmental like Annerk here. Fact is Orlando gets brings in A LOT of money that doesn't trinkle down to the PEOPLE of Orlando. How do you plan to fix that Annerk?

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by LordHomunculus

As long as the Orlando area has a tourist industry, there are always going to be a lot of low-wage jobs unless robots start operating rides or selling cotton candy. What the Orlando area can do though is continue growing in other more powerful industries such as medicine (which is already growing, especially with areas like Medical City) and aerospace.

With that being said, I think it's also safe to say that a huge percentage of low-wage workers in the Orlando area/metro reside in Osceola county. Not saying the other counties don't feel a sting from low-wage jobs, but Osceola is where most of the impact can be seen, especially since Osceola county has a much less diverse economic environment compared to Orange and Seminole counties. Osceola county also has a higher percentage of people with little education compared to other counties in the Orlando metro.

Is county were most of the BLACK and LATINO people live in the Orlando metro or does this area include poor whites as well?

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by 0nyxStation

I think this is the elitist attitude the OP was referring too, blaming the poor for being poor. Annerk you have made these sort of elitist comments before and to a degree sound like a judgmental bully. This is America whether people have no savings or as you call it marketable skills. There is a way for the poor to fight back, but it would take a huge lifestyle change. Most Americans that are quote unquote successful dont earn their success. They are given it or born into it. They very few that did earn it are so resentful by the time they get there, they become judgmental like Annerk here. Fact is Orlando gets brings in A LOT of money that doesn't trinkle down to the PEOPLE of Orlando. How do you plan to fix that Annerk?

By speaking proper English, learning a second language, dressing correctly, studying hard in school, keeping a daily budget, investing and continually adding funds in some balanced mutual funds instead of wasting money buying liquor, soda, cigarettes and/or drugs. However, these are things government cannot force people to do or change. Low income people tend to be some of the biggest buyers of these things. I think schools should teach life skills and by life skills I'm not talking about how to have safe sex, but how to create a budget, the power of compounding interest, simple ways to save money etc.

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

By speaking proper English, learning a second language, dressing correctly, studying hard in school, keeping a daily budget, investing and continually adding funds in some balanced mutual funds instead of wasting money buying liquor, soda, cigarettes and/or drugs. However, these are things government cannot force people to do or change. Low income people tend to be some of the biggest buyers of these things. I think schools should teach life skills and by life skills I'm not talking about how to have safe sex, but how to create a budget, the power of compounding interest, simple ways to save money etc.

Proper english is about comfort for the elite. People whos egos are so big they refuse try to understand those who dont speak like them. Language I see your point. There is no CORRECT way to dress. There is a proper way to dress in certain settings. Studying hard doesnt mean a hill of beans when many graduates are guaranteed a job just for having the right parents and attending the right school. Grades dont get you the job, it rarely does. Rich people buy liquor, soda, cigarettes and drugs all the time and they didnt get rich by avoiding soda, liquor and cigerettes. Life skills come from Parents not Schools. Schools are for academics. I hear what you are trying to say, i just dont agree with your rules and forcing people to live a certain way just to make enough to survive on.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by annerk

Just graduated I'd go where there was the most growth potential and least amount of competition as well as where there were industries that interested me. If I wanted a career in biotech I would be looking closely at Orlando, Northern/Central NJ, or Boston. If I wanted a career in aerotech I'd be looking at Huntsville, Houston, LA, and Orlando. If I wanted a job in financial services or HR tech I'd be looking in San Francisco, New York, or Chicago.

Building--I'd go to the place that offered my company the best tax incentives. It's cheaper to relo people (and write those costs off) and get a significant corporate income and property tax break than pay full ride taxes.

Companies can build anywhere. I'd also say that in high tech it's a different world, and people look at corporate culture a lot more than they do in most other industries.

A company with a ping pong table and fridge stocked with beer on Friday in Orlando might be a lot more attractive than a company with a business attire dress code and set 8-5 hours in Huntsville.

I'll also say that San Jose is an outlier due to the extremely high cost of living and high income and property taxes. You simply can't compare it against anyplace in the Southeast. Not even close.

Sorry, but that's a bit deluded. Orlando in the same league as North/Central NJ and Boston in the biotech field? Not even close and could name a dozen or more cities with better opportunity. The same goes for your comparison points in aerospace. Orlando's hardly a blip on the radar unless you stretch what defines the metro area into Melbourne-Palm Bay.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

$70k will go further in Orlando than $120k in San Jose imo

Yeah but in the end it's San Jose, and Orlando is still......Orlando.