According
to the U.S. Department of Labor the unemployment rate has escalated to 7.6% and
so far Wall Street isn’t responding positively to a soon to be passed Stimulus
Bill. In
a battered economy, with so many people out of work, the most influential variable
for you to preserve a competitive edge is to keep working (if you can). However, if the city which you reside has
slim prospects, have you considered
traveling to other markets to expand your options? I’m
not necessarily proposing a full-blown relocation, but traveling or temporary
relocation may enable you to uncover opportunities that you may not be able to
find in your home town. This is not the idyllic
option, but in an economy with narrow employment choices, you may need to take
some drastic steps to sustain your income level and marketability. According
to the U.S. Department of Labor, here are some markets that are experiencing
lower unemployment numbers:
Casper, Wyo.
Logan, Utah
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Morgantown, W. Va.
Ames, Iowa
Fargo, N.D.
Iowa City, Iowa
Rapid City, S.D.
Lincoln, Neb.
Provo-Orem, Utah
Billings, Mont.
Charleston, W. Va.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Lafayette, La.
Santa Fe, N.M.
Charlottesville, Va.
Farmington, N.M.
Grand Forks, N.D.
Lawton, Okla.
Madison, Wisc.
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.
Harrisonburg, Va.
Ogden-Clearfield, Utah
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa
Portsmouth, N.H.
Sioux City, Iowa
As you may already notice, most of these are not tier-1 cities however the unemployment numbers in these cities are significantly lower (in some cases less than half) than the national average.
There will be out of pocket costs that you may need to absorb, but there are tools you can use to keep your out of pocket costs as low as possible.
Flights
If
you have to fly to another city, Away.com enables
you to search multiple engines at once, which include; Orbitz, Expedia, Kayak, Priceline, Travelocity, Sidestep and Hotwire. If you have to book a flight with little
notice, Lastminute.com can provide some
packaged bargains (with Fly/Car or
Flight/Hotel). Most travel sites
provide a free subscribed alert service, which automatically emails you when a
price drops below your requested rate.
Rent a Car
Most
travel sites enable you to research numerous car rental companies to find the
best deal. If you know you’ll need a rent a car recurrently, you may want sign
up for preferred rent a car program, which are for the most part free and
enable you to receive additional discounts and bypass the counter. Often times, the best rentals are found when
you book by the week or month (instead of
daily). Companies such as Alamo.com offer monthly rental plans, as well
as discounts if you reserve/pay up front.
Hotels
Depending
on how you book your package, you may save money by booking your car, hotel and
flight separately. This can get time consuming; however it may be the most cost
effective. Websites such as Hotwire.com and Priceline.com offer you the option to “bid”
for your room.
If you’re stay is an extended one, you may want to research rates with companies such as ExtendedStayAmerica.com or StudioPlus.com.
Research
Before
you explore a respective marketplace for travel, temporary or permanent
relocation you can research a respective city at http://www.moving.com/real-estate/community/index.asp.
Compare the opportunity, your compensation and out of pocket expenses that you’ll incur and see if it makes sense for you. Also keep in mind, many of these “tier-2” cities will have a lower cost of living and the out of pocket costs may not be as substantial as you would experience with a tier-1 city. Yes, it will require some sacrifices, however it will go a long way to future employers when they see the sacrifices you’ve made to keep working and maintain or improve your skills.
Don W. Gee
Talent
Strategy Manager
Escendent
DGee@Escendent.com
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