With the labor shortage, Can unskilled workers now make it in Portland?

[CARas2020]

There may be work but with the COL so darn high finding a place to live could be a problem. But it depends on what a person wants and where in the city they want to live.

We rent and cannot afford to buy a house. We are middle class and my husband has a good paying job.

[MtnSurfer]

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.

I'm in a similar age bracket and still working as an engineer in the area 'remotely' like many, I think. I've been here a few years and put my resume out there a couple times. I had recruiters contacting me. However, before I even got to the interview, I inquired about salary and PDX is woefully below other tech markets. They have these laundry list of superstar skills they want in their job descriptions. Yet, when I found out they are offering substantially less pay, its simply not a worthwhile venture. A local recruiter confirmed this, that PDX isn't even trying to keep up other companies hiring remotely and making location 'adjustments.' They would rather remain understaffed than increase their pay. I'm not sure how long they can maintain that business posture. But its certainly the current MO for many/most I've seen.

My son is a soon to be recent grad and just took an offer for a remote gig. The company is highly rated along with excellent benefits, pay and growth potential. It's very exciting for him. By contrast, there is nothing remotely close in PDX. It's more like low energy crickets. So, while he would be willing to pay state tax and work out of PDX even for less pay, there's simply not the incentive there.

I think these companies are in a catch 22 situation expected the moon while wanting to keep wages generally low. So, they're having a harder time hiring. I wonder why?

Derek

[CARas2020]

Originally Posted by ketchikanite

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.

I have a friend in Hawaii who had had to do the same thing. It's crazy expensive there. Might be worth it if you can be a minimalist and get by with less stuff and live in a smaller place. The price you pay to live in paradise :-)