Is Bend The Right Move? (Portland, Eugene: find a job, university, minimum wage)

[jj85]

Greetings Bend
I'm planning on making the move to Bend in the spring or summer from Eugene.

About myself:
I'm a 27yr old single male who is a Republican. I came back to Eugene from Portland after my crew got laid off. It's really hard to find work here, & I'm very ready to move out & move on hehe.

I really like the outdoors, & also enjoy the nights in. Bend looks awesome, & I see myself really liking it there. It also looks a lot more affordable compared to Portland, & would highly enjoy all the sunshine Is it a good choice?

[Dry Side]

Bend is a great place if you are self employed and your business is not tied to the local economy. Otherwise you are most likely to be unemployed or working in the low paying service jobs. Also best if you have at least a year of savings in place.

[PNW-type-gal]

In general, moving from a larger city to a smaller city worsens your job opportunities. Eugene is around 156,000 (metro area around 350,000) and Bend is around 76,000 (metro area around 175,000). Bend unemployment rate (by the strictest U3 BLS standard) is around 9% and Eugene's is around 6.5%.

Eugene has a more diverse employment picture, Bend is more tourist/consumer oriented, with a lot of retail-level and hospitality jobs.

[delta07]

I agree with the other posts so far. Bend is a really tough place to make it right now, unless you are willing to work several minimum wage jobs, part time, with no benefits. I was just talking to a girl whose family moved here from HI, and they are all struggling to find meaningful employment. They have a young child, and can't find work that provides any sort of benefits.

Since you are relatively close, I'd work on saving up your money, visiting on your day's off, and begin networking and applying for jobs. Hold out until you can find the right one. It's harder to find employment when you don't live in the area, but you can easily drive over for interviews, which will benefit you.

If you love the outdoors, Bend is great, but if you can't find work that allows you to enjoy them, then really you're not benefiting from living closer to them.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by jj85

... ...
It's really hard to find work here ... ...

Then why would you chose Bend?


Also I am not so sure Bend is a better choice economicly.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Good jobs are hard to come by, but the tourist industry jobs are pretty easy to get. They are usually minimum wage, but living expenses aren't too bad if you know how to live thrifty. You'll have a hard time paying for a place to live with a minimum wage job, though, unless you go the roommate route.

[jj85]

Hi, Thanks for the support on here That's a bummer that Bend isn't doing so great with the economy, it looks like an awesome place to live. & Don't be fooled, There's no way that the unemployment rate in Eugene is 6.9%, there's no jobs here.
I just finished a seasonal position.It's sad to see the employer (seasonal only) go from a great employer to a not so great high-turn over rate employer.

It does feel comforting to know that I'm not the only one who can't find work here, everyone at the job has been talking about it.

Lets say that if someone were to find a job here in an entry level position, 95% of the time it would be at a place that is either Seasonal OR a Position with a very high turn over rate.

From what I can find, Bend's Economy looks a lot better than Eugene

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by jj85

Hi, Thanks for the support on here That's a bummer that Bend isn't doing so great with the economy, it looks like an awesome place to live. & Don't be fooled, There's no way that the unemployment rate in Eugene is 6.9%, there's no jobs here.
I just finished a seasonal position.It's sad to see the employer (seasonal only) go from a great employer to a not so great high-turn over rate employer.

It does feel comforting to know that I'm not the only one who can't find work here, everyone at the job has been talking about it.

Lets say that if someone were to find a job here in an entry level position, 95% of the time it would be at a place that is either Seasonal OR a Position with a very high turn over rate.

From what I can find, Bend's Economy looks a lot better than Eugene

The problem with lower wage and seasonal jobs in Eugene is that there is a HUGE pool of university students available to fill up those jobs - a lot of competition for that particular economic slot, which is probably why the unemployment rate feels higher to you. It's more the sector you are looking in than the overall picture.

[jj85]

Eugene economy is bad in every sector, not this and that like other cities hehe.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by jj85

... ...
From what I can find, Bend's Economy looks a lot better than Eugene

I don't know where you are getting your information, but it is incorrect.