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A little tidbit from today's Sun News (http://www.thesunnews.com/business/story/1259480.html - broken link): "Horry County had the nation's lowest average weekly wage for workers, $520 per week, during the second quarter of 2009, according to figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics."
We all know that statistics don't always tell the real story, but there's a message in these...
MB can be a good place to live as long as you're bringing plenty of money along with you. At the same time, it is perceived by too many non-locals as "heaven on earth" or "the best party town around." For those reasons, even in the best of times, the demand for jobs almost always exceeds availability. In the rural areas of Horry County and surrounding counties, the unemployment rates are perennially far above the state and national average, forcing many people to bus into MB for minimum wage jobs. Finally, throw in the longtime summertime tradition of college and high school students migrating to the beach for summer work, and the result is ridiculously low wages, with many folks being required to work two jobs just to make ends meet.
If you're contemplating a move, don't even think about it unless (1) you've got a firm job nailed down and (2) you know you can survive on the wages. Due to the large number of retirees in the area, medical jobs usually seem to be in demand. During the boom times, construction workers stay busy, but we are not likely to see that again for quite awhile. For everybody else, it can be a real challenge.
Last edited by PawleysDude; 01-14-2010 at 08:12 AM..
Reason: stupid spellchecker
Many of us have been saying this for a long time but have gone ignored, and in some instances, laughed at. However, I didn't realize we were the lowest That makes me sad...
Not all is doom and gloom for Horry County. I work at a company in West MI where my fellow employees and myself make FAR less than the location in MB where people are doing the same exact thing. Keep in mind that your cost of living is lower than many places too. Indeed one must have a good job lined up before a move to Horry, or pretty much anywhere these days. Ignoring or laughing (?) at this would certainly be ignorant, I agree. If you have no job lined up, you'd be wise to avoid a move to MB. However, if you're like me and my wife (who can also match or beat what she makes here), go for it.
One thing is forgotten is in the summer there are very few jobs because of the Russians and Bulgarias. They work cheap also but now most are not going home and are staying for 2 years under a school visa. In the retail store I work 60%(whole store) are from Bulgaria and making $8 per hour when at another retail store they would pay $10-13 per hour to do that job.Bud-sc
^^^Not likely. That statement assumes that wages are only down because of the economy and foreign born workers. Sadly, they've always paid the lowest pay they can get away with. Some quietly pay below minimum wage and say take it or leave it. It retains that slave state mentality. You'll see what I mean when you get here. So many people are afraid of their bosses and are defeated because of the strong arm tactics and condescension. So many managers use that attitude to keep their people in their subservient place. It's weird to see the beautiful surf, enjoy the food and Southern hospitality but catch the heavy defeatism of so many of the workers--including the Russian and Bulgarians. They had a shortage of workers and I think it's the abuse of power that keeps local people from flocking for jobs. So many I've talked to are looking to Charlotte, Charleston, and Atlanta.
The only people who enjoy being here are the tourists. Thats about it. Dont get me wrong, I as a local can always find SOMETHING to do, that is if im not flat broke, which is rare.
There are 3 types of people that live here.
The elderly- The elderly move here for the cheap cost of living, since they are living off social security and are miserable. Then they complain about everyone else living off the government, as they do
The transplants- Transplants from the north come here, with their nasty attitudes, get stuck getting paid 1/3rd of what they used to make, and are miserable
The natives- The natives who live here and are too uneducated and poor to move anywhere else, and blame all the "yankees" for taking the jobs, so theyre miserable
The only people who seem to really enjoy myrtle beach, are the tourists. I mean theres a reason why this is one of the crappiest places to work, and the cheapest place to vacation.
This place is all about keeping the people uneducated and poor here. So they are too stupid or too poor to leave, and keep the politician's and business owner's pockets full. On the news, all yoy hear about is businesses. How to make the businesses more money......yeah they talk about jobs, how we need more jobs, but you never hear about the CRAP wages those jobs bring.
I used to think that I would like to live in MB, then we bought a condo there as an investment property. The condo is beautiful, and we are doing a lot better on the rental income than we even thought we would, but the flip side of that is that owning property in MB has given us the opportunity to spend more time there this year than we ever have before and given us a much more realistic view of what it would be like to live there.
I don't doubt for a minute that the wages are rock bottom in MB, because with more time to spend, we were able to meet and talk to a lot more of the locals than we ever had before, and it was very enlightening. It makes you think when you meet people in their thirties and forties who are working two or more minimum wage jobs just to afford rent on a two bedroom apartment and maintain an aging car. I am an RN. Just for the heck of it, I looked into jobs at one of the local hospitals down there and I would have to take a $13/hr. pay cut to do the same exact job that I'm doing here in Michigan. That works out to over $27,000/year! My dh works for a logistics company that has offices in Florence and Charleston, and he would have to take a $6-7/hour pay cut. And BTW, it isn't just Russians and Bulgarians who are flocking to MB and making it harder for Americans to get jobs there. The housekeeping staff at the resort where our condo is appears to be made up entirely of non-English speaking Mexicans, which is something I hadn't seen on previous trips to MB in years past. The management makes it clear that they are not illegal immigrants, but either way, more jobs gone to the lowest bidder, right?
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy MB very much when we are there, and I think it is a great place to visit. But I cringe inwardly whenever I see someone start a thread on this forum that goes something like this:
"Oh, gee, I just cannot stand one more long, miserable winter here in crappy Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, etc., etc., etc. I visited Myrtle Beach for a week last year and I am going to move my wife and kids down there just as soon as I can. Work? Eh, I'll find something. I mean, I do construction, I'm sure I'll find SOMEthing. My wife? Eh, she'll find something too, we're not worried at all."
How many of those do you think actually work out? Funny, but they never seem to come back here to post a thread stating that they were wrong, that the locals on this forum tried to gently warn them, that living somewhere is completely different from spending a week there frolicking in the surf and sun. And I know that a lot of them end up moving back home, because I have known so many people over the years who thought that Florida, South Carolina, or some other sunny spot was their personal paradise until they moved there and ended up moving back with woeful tales of low wages, sweltering summers, insane traffic jams, and crazy tourists. WHY didn't somebody warn them????
Last edited by canudigit; 06-13-2012 at 04:55 AM..
The natives- The natives who live here and are too uneducated and poor to move anywhere else, and blame all the "yankees" for taking the jobs, so theyre miserable
.
I'm sorry but the above statement is complete bull****. I'm educated, everyone in my family has at least a bachelors degree, my kids, my friends, their kids, etc.
Most natives, built the local businesses that employ the transplants. If you are working in any hotel chances are it is locally owned.
Many of the local 'educated' native kids I know have moved to NYC (including my two stepdaughters) and are taking yankee jobs.
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That makes me sad...
