Job Market in Portland (Dallas, Donald: hotel, closing, minimum wage) - Oregon (OR) - City-Data Forum

astacklin · 03-05-2008, 05:42 PM

I am considering a move to Portland. I am curious what the job market is like. I work in Hospitality and would be looking for something in management, but would take entry level just to get by for a while. Would I struggle moving to Portland without a job first, or would I be ok as long as I have a bit of money to support myself for a couple weeks?? Thanks for the advice... A

tantajo · 03-05-2008, 07:56 PM

The job market is okay. Look on craigslist.org, unlike many cities it's very representative of what's out there. It's possible to find a job within a few weeks especially if you have some temp-able skills, but I don't think it's a very safe bet.

scongress1234 · 03-06-2008, 12:22 AM

You can always get a job at a gas station in Portland. They pay a bit higher than normal, around 8.50, and there isn't TOO much chance of getting shot up, unless you work the night shift, of course. Merry Maids is hiring housekeepers for 7/hour, and
you get extra if you speak spanish........also, McDonalds is hiring in ALL Portland locations, and is a wonderful learning opportunity......I hear the drive-in window is a great gig, though the local hispanics have been caught selling various drugs through the same.....hey, if you were making 6.34 an hour to dish out dollar menu crapola, you would sell do the same! LOL! Hey, best of luck to you.....again, there is no shortage of minimum wage jobs in the Portland metro!
God bless!

astacklin · 03-08-2008, 12:24 AM

I hope you were trying to be funny... anyway, thanks for the tips, however I'm looking more for upper level management and could use some real advice from someone that has a bit of a clue about the industry. Thanks.

GB1 · 03-08-2008, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astacklin

I am considering a move to Portland. I am curious what the job market is like. I work in Hospitality and would be looking for something in management, but would take entry level just to get by for a while. Would I struggle moving to Portland without a job first, or would I be ok as long as I have a bit of money to support myself for a couple weeks?? Thanks for the advice... A

Well, a couple of weeks is a pretty thin margin - I'd say a couple of months would be better.

When you say 'hospitality,' do you mean food/bev or hotel?

Servers in Portland make the local minimum wage (I think it's $7.80) + tips. Restaurants seem to be in a bit of flux - those that are doing well are doing really well, while others are closing.

Hotel management is probably a bit more stable, but also harder to get into.

Your best bet might be to check the ads on Craigslist, as well as in the Willamette Week.

astacklin · 03-09-2008, 12:24 AM

Thanks GB1, I am looking to get into Hotel/Resorts. My degree is in Hotel Management and I've done a bit of traveling in Europe, now just looking to settle down someplace new and interesting. I would resort to doing serving/restaurant jobs, but would love to get into something a bit more high on the ladder iff possible. I'll check out craiglist, thanks for the tip!!
A

succotash · 03-10-2008, 08:36 AM

astacklin,

I work in the tech sector and have been monitoring tech jobs in Seattle and LA for about 5 years now. I can say that there are less listings in Portland overall, the pay is lower, and the job requirements are higher. I'm talking professional mid level computer jobs in the $45k-75k bracket. Despite Seattle having a higher percentage of people with degrees, I can definitely say that more of the Portland listings require a Bachelors. I see that asked for in Seattle listings only half as much. To me, this means that there is a larger supply than demand for these positions. A friend of mine currently living in Portland have verified this for me as well(graphic design and photography fields).

That said, the cost of living in Seattle is quite a bit higher... to the point that where I live now(Central Washington), we have had a glut of retirees moving here from there... as well as California and even Portland. Currently, 1/3rd of the people here are not locals... the cost of living has gone up tremendously, yet the pay has not! It is now comparable to Portland in terms of housing costs... and even higher for food.

This is why I am considering moving to Portland as opposed to Seattle... but the job market and local economy is certainly a big concern to me. I'm definitely going to be doing extensive research on this over the next month and make a couple visits with my wife before we decide.

PortlandTechnical · 07-15-2008, 05:57 PM

As a technical recruiter my view is a bit skeewed to the technical side of things. I relocate people from out of Portland several times a month for positions ranging from a manufacturing technician to software and hardware engineers. The market is good - it just depends on how niche your skills are and if your pay expectations are Portlandized to the going rates here.

tawnyfawn · 07-15-2008, 06:04 PM

The job market in Portland sucks. There is incredible competition here because everyone here is overqualified and working crappy jobs for low wage. I worked in the hospitality industry in New Orleans and I can tell you to just scratch that. You may be able to get a job in management but I can tell you there are up against a lot of people. Good Luck.

blackrabbit · 07-15-2008, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PortlandTechnical

As a technical recruiter my view is a bit skeewed to the technical side of things. I relocate people from out of Portland several times a month for positions ranging from a manufacturing technician to software and hardware engineers. The market is good - it just depends on how niche your skills are and if your pay expectations are Portlandized to the going rates here.

Really thats interesting. Every job I see is paying about 40% less in IT than other areas such as Seattle or Dallas etc.