How is the job market in the Phoenix area??

[Daxxax]

Anyone live there and have first hand knowledge?

My wife and I are thinking about moving in the next year or two. I work in the IT field right now so that would be what I'm looking for. I guess I'm just wondering if it's comparable to other large cities? better? worse? How's the cost of living? I have heard that car insurance is high, is that true? I've looked at employment reports and so on but I'd rather hear from someone that lives and works in the area.

Thanks a bunch!!

 

[Adul]

IT market is ok here, though it does look like the biomedical sector may become a hot item here in the next few years. They are really pushing that industry. Cost of living is pretty affordable, though it depends where you are coming from. Car insurance is expensive here compared to some other states, and people can drive for sht in the rain when it does rain.

It is very hot in the summer, but it is fairly dry. I am use to it by now. Certainly beats snow .

 

[CanOWorms]

I know someone who was consulting with a company there on national missile defense, and he said he was amazed at how many semiconductor, defense, etc. engineering companies were popping up there.

 

[Daxxax]

I'm coming from Minnesota, My wife is sick of the Winters here. It's just I have a really good job right now and I don't know if I can bring myself to quit and be without for a few weeks/months. I guess my wife and I have some hard decisions to make.

Thanks for the help though.

 

[mandala]

Yes, car insurance here is expensive (because Phx has some of the highest theft and accident rates in the country). It seems like the IT market is fairly saturated (I know many IT people here who have been looking for better jobs to no avail). The cost of living isn't too bad (although I would guess it is higher than in Minnesota). The housing market is booming right now (prices vary widely depending on what part of the valley you are looking at). The urban sprawl is pretty huge and, combined with the lack of any semblance of a decent mass-transit system, can make commuting pretty awful. Summers are hot and take some getting used to. Winters are short-lived and beautiful. Airconditioning is pretty much a must, so take that into account if your vehicles do not have airconditioning.

 

[StageLeft]

I am not surprised at wanting to move away from the hell that is a MN winter. I lived in saskatchewan for just over 2 years. Why anybody would voluntarily move there is beyond me. Still, in this climate I would not willingly leave an IT job to line up at the job center looking for work. Just take more vacations

 

[phonemonkey]

I'm not sure how the housing costs compare to MN, but I'm pretty sure that you're going to pay more for a house here.

I'm not sure if you've thought about where you want to live in Phx, but from what I've seen, central PHX generally has a higher crime rate (or at least that's what I experienced living there, the West valley is very cheap (but there's not much there yet), the East valley has a large housing base there already, but you'll pay more.

If you're really well off, you might want to try living in Deer Valley, Anthem or Snottsdale.

Utilities here are pretty expensive. Expect to spend $200 a month for electricity in the summer time. Water is also a consideration. If you want to save yourself some time and money, use desert landscaping (mainly so you don't have to cut grass when it's 105+ outside).

Jobs vary. There's alot of low paying jobs here (we've got a tourist/service economy here), but if you get lucky, you can make out pretty well. I think there was a report last year that said that you need to make roughly 55k a year (married couple) to get ahead here.

My company, Safeway, is moving some of their IT operations to the Deer Valley area (NW valley). I don't know what your specialties are, but check out our page to see if there's anything that you qualify for. They're moving from SLC, so as people say that they aren't moving, new positions are opening up here.

If you've got a high risk car, I'd highly recommend getting lojack installed in your car(s). Either that, or wait for the city to drain the canals (for maintenance) for the cops to find your car.

IMO, the drivers here generally drive like sht all the time (I was told this by people from east LA and NYC). The rain just makes them do more damage than normal.

 

[phonemonkey]

Oh, forgot one thing: PHX is the callcenter capital of the world (due to the low pay and lack of accents for people here). If you don't mind callcenter work, you'll be in luck.

link to the local paper for look for jobs

 

[Daxxax]

Thanks for the tips. I think we might stay in Minnesota for the time being. Winters suck, but if we can get away once or twice it won't be that bad.