With the labor shortage, Can unskilled workers now make it in Portland? (rent, condo)

[ccjarider]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Not very well, at least in London, it seems.



https://www.totallymoney.com/london-...e-rent-crisis/

The article references minimum wage worker. Minimum wage is not intended to sustain a person through lufe, nor should it. Most people move through minimum wage roles very quickly.
Red herring

[jertheber]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Not very well, at least in London, it seems.



https://www.totallymoney.com/london-...e-rent-crisis/

Yeah, I'm not surprised that the min wage there is a real blockade to living in the London area. Portland, like most large metro areas has it's own level of sustainability with regard to housing cost, and it is just common sense to understand that even twenty bucks an hour at forty hours won't go far in Portland. And plenty of those jobs that are going begging aren't paying at the level of compensation that would allow one to live in the near neighborhoods or even the far flung burbs.

Seattle, San francisco, LA, Boston, Denver, Atlanta, NYC, Portland Oregon, and many other tech-metro areas are suffering from a terribly overpriced COL at present. That makes for a not so desirable business locale, especially in the non technical space that doesn't need it's employees to be in a geo-concentrated population. The highly paid WFH segment of Portland's population will continue to remain in the city just for the potential facetime requirement. Low income housing usually ends up as an adjunct to senior housing so there isn't much value in those that would help alleviate the housing problems for the less than low income earner.

My guess is that, like Seattle and many other large metro's, Portland's manufacturing and heavy industries will move to a more amenable locale, one that will attract workers who can't match the high compensation rates of the big cities. Out west hwy 30 will most likely be the choice of Portland's heavy industries, far enough from the city to discourage any metro types to migrate for cheaper digs.

[harrishawke]

Originally Posted by jertheber

Seattle, San francisco, LA, Boston, Denver, Atlanta, NYC, Portland Oregon, and many other tech-metro areas are suffering from a terribly overpriced COL at present.

The problem with Portland is that it's not really a Tech Hub, like everyone calls it. Yes they have Intel, but that's semi-conductors, and their growth has really slowed the last decade by missing out on the smart phone market. Nike, and the other Apparel Companies aren't rapidly hiring either. Plus, It just makes more sense to operate in other areas like Washington State that have no Corporate income tax, more top tier Universities, and a much larger talent pool.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

The article references minimum wage worker. Minimum wage is not intended to sustain a person through lufe, nor should it. Most people move through minimum wage roles very quickly.
Red herring

I never said it was, but the discussion is about low-wage workers, which certainly includes those making minimum wage. And if you'll notice, the article goes on to expand beyond minimum wage:

This research shines a light on the scale of the housing crisis in London and how the increased minimum wage and even the London Living Wage is no longer sufficient to live on in the capital.

According to this article, 1/5 of those living in London are "low wage earners." Their definition seems to include anything less than the London Living Wage.

https://www.poverty.ac.uk/report-low...ss-living-wage

BTW, I'm not on either "side" as far as this thread goes. While I think that some companies can do better, private businesses shouldn't be expected to subsidize a runaway housing market.

[ketchikanite]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

This repeated "high cost of housing" commentary is over the top. There are soo many housing options. Frankly, USA has some of the cheapest housing in the developed world.

Monthly income is USA ranks in top 10 in the world. Cost of living (Including housing) ranks in mid 20's of top 110 counties on planet.

Statistically that means USA is a bargain. While Portland may be on little on the high end of USA spectrum, it is not at all like other cities such as London, Shanghai or Hong Kong. Each of these places is much more expensive yet have large populations of lower wage income earners. How do they do it??

How do they do it? Multi-generational households. I have a friend that is a police officer in Honolulu. Him, his wife, two children and his parents all lived together in a 2 bedroom condo for 6 years until he had enough money saved to buy his own place. Multi-generational households are quite common in many countries. In many bush areas of Alaska it’s the norm.

[QuaSaShao]

I'm an engineer. Over 50. Moved to the Portland area and bought a house because my wife wanted to be near our son while he went to college and she didn't like where we were living.

I took a couple of years off in the process because I could financially. When the dust settled and I decided to go back to work I hit a brick wall I never saw coming, despite having a dozen U.S. patents and a healthy track record of successful product development. I couldn't get an interview until I trimmed my resume and once I began getting interviews an iron curtain seemed to drop the moment I showed up and the engineering manager saw I was a decade or two older than he/she.

I finally gave up looking and just started designing and manufacturing my own products using suppliers I had used for years at my previous employers. Created a website and learned to sell on Fulfillment by Amazon and it's going well.

What baffled me is the companies I approached clearly needed skilled, experienced engineers with a go-getter attitude but apparently once you hit your fifties you're dead to Portland tech employers.

[harrishawke]

I wouldn't automatically assume age discrimination. I've seen older senior engineers still working in technology in parts of Seattle (ie Aviation, Defense, Software) and other Tech Hubs outside the PNW. I've have heard many reports that the competition is so tough in Portland Metro, that they prefer internal and networked candidates over external ones. It may make you feel better knowing that my father was able to stay into software development until his recent retirement in Silicon Valley.

[LongLeggedOne]

Originally Posted by QuaSaShao

I'm an engineer. Over 50. Moved to the Portland area and bought a house because my wife wanted to be near our son while he went to college and she didn't like where we were living.

I took a couple of years off in the process because I could financially. When the dust settled and I decided to go back to work I hit a brick wall I never saw coming, despite having a dozen U.S. patents and a healthy track record of successful product development. I couldn't get an interview until I trimmed my resume and once I began getting interviews an iron curtain seemed to drop the moment I showed up and the engineering manager saw I was a decade or two older than he/she.

I finally gave up looking and just started designing and manufacturing my own products using suppliers I had used for years at my previous employers. Created a website and learned to sell on Fulfillment by Amazon and it's going well.

What baffled me is the companies I approached clearly needed skilled, experienced engineers with a go-getter attitude but apparently once you hit your fifties you're dead to Portland tech employers.

You're pretty much dead to the entire city of Portland now if you're 41 and single with no friends and more so in the suburbs even.

[harrishawke]

Originally Posted by LongLeggedOne

You're pretty much dead to the entire city of Portland now if you're 41 and single with no friends and more so in the suburbs even.

So why is this the case? Many of the older Millennials are still single and turning 40.

[Rocknroll4]

The rent isn't nearly as bad around the outskirts of London and the transportation system is better. That's how they do it. Most people take trains. From where I used to live there.. it was only an hour into London. England can fit into the entire West side of Oregon.