Is the Southern California Job Market REALLY that bad? (Orland: real estate, credit)

[yoyoma02]

Hello!
So, I'm relocating out to Southern California with a couple of friends this summer. We are all working professionals, and they both have jobs already lined up. I however, haven't seemed to land a gig yet... I've gotten lots of phone interviews, but no offers...

Everyone keeps telling me, "Don't go without a job lined up!" but I'm very confident with my skills and I know I'm capable of landing a job. (I'm not looking to make a big break into hollywood and I don't think I'll be some TV executive.)

So my question to you all, is the job market really all THAT bad? Are skilled professionals who have 3 - 5 years experience having trouble finding a job that pays the bills?

I have $10k cash saved, plus I'm not afraid to deliver pizzas or something at night while I interview for a job during the day. I feel if I went out there and had in person interviews, I would land a job within a couple of months.

Thoughts?

[EscapeCalifornia]

It depends on the field but in general, yes, things are that bad. Two months to find a professional job would be highly optimistic.

[BRinSM]

companies are hiring, but i have a lot of anecdotal evidence that doesn't help your cause. my wife has been interviewing people with masters degrees for entry level positions. also, another family member was on unemployment for over a year before finally fining a job. for me personally, it took over a year to find a new job and i was already employed. hopefully you have a niche skill set that is in demand here in LA.

[laviachi]

The job market is bad -- probably an unemployment rate of 20% including the entertainment industry. I know many individuals with degrees and strong backgrounds including tech industry types who have been out of work for over a year or more. LA is not a place to come without a job in this environment. If anything, people are considering leaving LA for brighter job prospects.

[user_id]

The unemployment rate for educated individuals is a lot less than it is for unskilled individuals, but it does depend on which industry you are in. All the real estate related industries have high unemployment, where as something like tech is not so bad.

Most of the people I know in the area are in tech, science or engineering. They have not had problems, some have even changed jobs for better pay over the last 1-2 years.

It also depends where you are looking for a job, some areas have high unemployment rates than others. The worse area for jobs is the inland empire.

[marilyn220]

Even though the company is in Atlanta and not in LA, I believe what Sony Ericson did is cognizant of what MANY corporations/companies around America are doing.

Sony Ericson to offer 180 jobs tell unemployed “NEED NOT APPLY” | J'Adore Magazine, The Best of All Worlds All Together (http://tinyurl.com/27puudd - broken link)

Sony Ericson to offer 180 jobs tell unemployed “NEED NOT APPLY”

Peter May, of Atlanta, said he was hoping Orlando-based recruiter “The People Place” would help him find a job with Sony Ericsson. The company is moving its headquarters to Buckhead, which is located in the Atlanta perimeter.

The People Place

May, as he appeared on the local news, said he “was mortified when I read the message on the website”. In all caps, and bold type, it said, “NO UNEMPLOYED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONSIDERED AT ALL!” Sony Ericsson is supposed to bring 180 jobs to Buckhead, and was lured there with the prospect of a $4 million in state tax credits. Job hunters are facing a new trend: businesses asking recruitment companies to keep unemployed people out of their job pools.

“To just totally leave those people out of the mix, it’s stupefying. I just can’t understand it at all. To be honest with you, it kind of angered me. You know, I’m a good enough guy,” May said on Monday.

Todays Reality

But May said if the company is refusing to hire the unemployed, that deal should be rescinded. This stinks of discrimination. The question is: legally are the unemployed a protected class? I don’t think so. Although it would appear their funding should be rescinded it probably will not be. The answer is that those we send to make the laws need to put these type of provisions in future packages and offerings of the public’s money. You see those same people from whom they now want no parts of probably at one time were taxpayers too and helped to provide these funds.

SE removed the post now, but it's too late. The reporter who posted the story and lord knows how many thousands of others saw it too.

Needless to say, this is SHAMEFUL and sad for many longterm unemployed people. They have 180 jobs and do not want to give it someone currently unemployed. Do these folks really believe that in THIS economy folks with a JOB/BENEFITS will give it up for a maybe/might be if you pass the 90 day warning period?

They've been saying on many places that this is something going on at MANY companies, but SE was the only one stupid enough to post it. I believe their so-called "tax benefit" for moving to the county should be rescinded.

[user_id]

Did California annexed Georgia?

[killer2021]

its very bad. I don't know how anyone can say its easy to find a job when the unemployment rate is 12%. The real unemployment rate is around 25%. 10k out here will last you 6 months, if that.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by killer2021

I don't know how anyone can say its easy to find a job when the unemployment rate is 12%.

Because unemployment is not uniform across all industries. The unemployment rate in California is only 2% above the national average and its mostly due to losses in real estate and construction related industries. If you are not in those industries finding a job in California is much like the rest of the country.

[yoyoma02]

Ah... you guys aren't giving me a lot of hope. Currently, I do work in entertainment marketing. However, I'm definitely NOT limiting my search to just entertainment marketing. I'm also looking for marketing agencies, advertising agencies, local companies that may need marketing help, etc.. I have a broad skill set that I think I can bring to the table and be able to do an awesome job...it's just a matter of finding the right fit.