Is PDX job market really that different from SEA?

[arbeiter]

I've spent a few weekends in Seattle and have begun to second-guess whether I would prefer it over Portland. After all, from an urban planning and weather standpoint, PDX is preferrable. Also, rent is cheaper and having been born in Washington I would like to add another state to the list.

All of the (anecdotal) research I have done seems to make PDX's job market look much more meager and more of a trickle compared to Seattle's steady flow. Can anyone shed light on this? Craigslist especially makes PDX look like it's still in the midst of a terrible recession.

I think I would prefer PDX but if I can't get a job there, why bother? Can anyone share with me their insight? I'd like to think a $35-40K a year job for me can be had in PDX without too much of a problem, given my strong resume and excellent interviewing skills. One positive thing about PDX, though: rent is so cheap that I could easily find a sublet and just look for a longer period of time. Do people commute outward to the suburbs on the MAX? Are there any major employment centers on the MAX outside of downtown and Lloyd Center?

So basically, I was hoping I could get your insight on the difference between these two cities' job markets.

[James Bond Agent 007]

What's your field? That makes a lot of difference.

[MarkDaMan]

I wouldn't dare get into comparing Seattle's job base vs. Portland. Seattle is very corporate, where in Portland you seem to start lower but move up quicker in smaller companies. So it depends on what you're looking for as far as a job...ODS, Standard Insurance, Providence, and Blue Cross Blue Shield are all hiring 'entry' level claims processors and such. They usually begin around 32K-37K and those companies, according to my friends that work for them, are always hiring.

Finding an 32K-40K job in Portland is relatively simple I'd say...the market below (while still salary) and above those numbers (say 50K and above) are pretty tight markets in Portland to enter into. In any case, I haven't found much luck on craigslist when it came to jobs, here, but I would suggest you find a list of the 20 top employers in Portland and search their jobs section on their websites. There should be no reason you couldn't get a job in the current market if you have the skills you say you do. I did it 5 years ago when downtown's unemployment rate was above 8%, so it should be a cakewalk now.

[gooddirt]

I live in Seattle and travel to Oregon via Portland at least once a month, so I experience that city frequently. Portland has it over seattle (city proper) in several quality of life issues. Cute, walkable downtown with MAX, more affordable. But for a college educated person seeking career growth in FIRES sectors, technology, trade, and most types of manufacturing, Seattle is hands down a better job market. But if you move to seattle, you have to compete with 40,000 microsofties and 50,000 Boeing workers for housing.

I like Portland and would like Seattle to be more like it in some respects (so would our planners), but it's a much more exciting place to do business, IMHO

[arbeiter]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

What's your field? That makes a lot of difference.

My field is kind of varied, but let's just say I've worked for companies as large as Apple and as small as a 7-person startup. Mostly mid to higher level administrative kind of stuff... I was a research analyst and data analyst.

[James Bond Agent 007]

^
Hmmm. Well in that case I'd say flip a coin.

[PDX City-State]

I've never lived in Seattle, but have lived in SF, DC, Madrid: cities with dynamic job markets. Portland is none of the above. If you want a high-paying job in a globally-oriented city, go to Seattle. You cannot compare the two.

Having said that, Portland is a city that's defining itself as we speak. Anyone who has lived here for a few years will tell you how dramatically it's changed and how, finally, it's decided to behave like the large city it's evolving into. Portland is extremely independent--sometimes this is negative--and everyone is always scheming to do their own thing. While these schemes traditionally have oriented themselves around music, performance art, bicycle activism, etc--the city has become a lot more savvy and entrepreneurial and small business is really booming. Of all the large and mid-sized more educated cities in the country, (Seattle, Austin, Twin Cities, SF), Portland probably has the least mature economy. However, this spells a whole lot of opportunity. As a friend said to me the other night: "Portland is changing so fast, and we're the ones changing it."

[arbeiter]

Thanks, PDX City-State, that is good insight. I would rather work for a cool small company than a boring large one - although many of Seattle's large companies seem to be pleasant places to work for.

[PDX City-State]

Seattle also has a lot of small and creative businesses.

[77e]

Originally Posted by arbeiter

After all, from an urban planning and weather standpoint, PDX is preferrable.

Yeah, that two degrees is going to make a big difference weather-wise.

[arbeiter]

Originally Posted by 77e

Yeah, that two degrees is going to make a big difference weather-wise.

I might be speaking anecdotally, but having grown up in Seattle it seemed quite different. Seattle is often hovering in the 60's in the summer while Portland is cracking 76-77. In the winter, there's not much of a difference, although Portland noticeably gets somewhat less rain.

Anyway, back to the subject - I have my first job interview with a Seattle company tomorrow afternoon. please keep your fingers crossed. my name is arbeiter, which is german for WORKER, and I need a job baaadly.

[James Bond Agent 007]

^
Good luck!

I too, am on the cusp of a new job - hopefully. Had a talk with a guy from a small Boise-based GIS/CAD company on Monday (we met in a bar in downtown Seattle!) and he just sent me an email several hours ago telling me I was "one of the last candidates left" in his decision process. He said he would contact me after the 4th of July.

If I get it I would also spend a lot of time in Boise.

[seapug]

arbeiter, the weather channel disagrees with you

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxcli...A0395&clocid2=

the urban planning thing is subjective though. me and several others would prefer seattle's planning to portlands and others would prefer portland. for me portland is too small, not dense enough. and yeah they have more modern transit but we have higher ridership. the number of car trips on our downtown streets is actually decresing http://www.downtownseattle.com/conte...es/Parking.cfm

[mhays]

I agree. Portland's planning makes for nice neighborhoods. But Seattle's planning makes for larger-scale urban districts and higher densities, both in the city and in the suburbs.

[PDX City-State]

But Seattle's planning makes for larger-scale urban districts and higher densities, both in the city and in the suburbs.

A lot of that is simply because Seattle has more people. It's a whole different ballgame than Portland. Shit--the University District in Seattle rivals some central cities in the US. Portland's done well, but it has a whole lot of room to grow. The true test of Portland planning will be in the next 15 years--as the population swells. There are still a lot of dead zones around town that are just starting to pick up--such as the Central Eastside.

[PacificNW]

The annexations that took place decades ago of east county gave Portland a lot of additional square miles without a lot of population density. I would imagine if Portland was as small as Seattle in square mileage the density of people in both cities would be more similar.

Also, when the subject of urban planning is discussed Portland is no slouch and has an international reputation.

"Indeed, planners around the world look to Portland for an example of how to do it right." The Facts of Life in Portland, Oregon by Elaine S. Friedman.

[destroybananas]

^that's funny considering the fact that Portland looked into european cities on how to do it right...

[PacificNW]

⬆ You are correct. In addition Portland examined/studies urban landscapes the world over...as I am sure Seattle does the same. The positive/negative examples the world over should be utilized. Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, and Portland strive for this.

[destroybananas]

^that's very true

[alexjon]

Each of my fields is raging in jobs up there-- there's a great need and I hear tell that my transfer will be easy due to the number of available jobs.