With Oregon’s Economic Recovery, can Transplants finally relocate safely without a Job lined up? (Portland: how much, house)

[harrishawke]

Is there now a consensus that we can finally put that long time adage: "Don't Move without a Job Line up!" to bed now?

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by harrishawke

Is there now a consensus that we can finally put that long time adage: "Don't Move without a Job Line up!" to bed now?

Depends how much cash you have. I know more than 20 families in CA who could sell their homes and have at least 300k to help buy a house and live for a while.

[patches403]

As expensive as Portland is, I would not move here without a job unless I brought 6+ months of living expenses with me.

[KJoe11]

Originally Posted by harrishawke

Is there now a consensus that we can finally put that long time adage: "Don't Move without a Job Line up!" to bed now?

Yes. Everyone who wants to live in Portland should move here. After all, the gov't or MSM would never skew any statistics or lie would they? Just don't forget to bring your tent.

[harrishawke]

Originally Posted by patches403

As expensive as Portland is, I would not move here without a job unless I brought 6+ months of living expenses with me.

How long were you able to find a job? I've seen a few posts where people get them in a few weeks. I not sure what industry there are in, but probably was IT related. I think other positions would take longer to open up.

[harrishawke]

Unemployment rate is 4.4% in the Portland Metro. Lowest it has been in 15 years according to the Oregonian.

Portland-area unemployment rate reaches 15-year low | OregonLive.com

[Harpaint]

It depends on your job skills, age, experience, assets, and where your moving. No simple answer.

[VelouriaPDX]

Yes. Now that the city of Portland allows for "safe sleeping" in any of our beautiful parks and public areas, there is really no need to have a job, money, or anything lined up. Come one, come all. Welcome!

[bler144]

Personally, I do not think the guidance should change. Cost being one of the reasons - if you don't line something up quickly one can blow through cash quickly. And for most positions, you're not going to make enough vs. COL to re-build your assets quickly.

The other reason is that the U-3 unemployment rate isn't a particularly wide view of the Oregon/Portland economy. On the U-3 Oregon is below the national average, which looks rosy. But if you look at the U-6 rate (last published in April, I believe) Oregon lagged the national average by about 2%, at 11.5%. The major implication of the U-6 is that it includes people who have a job, but work part-time not-by-choice.

And purely anecdotally, I think there's real meaning there based on my own experience and on talking to people. While I am employed full-time I've looked at trying to get a second part-time job to make ends meet, and it's been very difficult. Either I'm over-qualified, or they only want to hire for the hardest-to-fill shifts, etc.

That is, while the official U-3 rate is low, I don't perceive much actual "slack-ness" in the labor market where anyone can get a job that truly pays the bills just falling out of bed.

That said, if you're in medicine, then sure, that's a category for which supply of full-time work seems ample.

[AnotherPDXGuy]

I would definitely still advise people to have a job, mostly for the reasons bler144 states.

I would advise anyone who moves here to assume that five people just like them, looking for the same things, moved here on the same day. And five others the previous day, and five more the next, for the foreseeable future. I would say someone with real tech chops, or medical professionals are some of the few people who could just decide to move here right now. And who knows if the tech economy will last.