U.S. employment wages

[SonoranSongbird 3]

I think it varies from region to region in both countries. Also, generally speaking, the places that pay better tend to be the places that have higher cost of living as well. In our case, a large part of the reason he is the one who moved here was the cost of living in Alberta is ridiculously high, too much to be offset by higher wages.

[Krikit 1,163]

Yes, it depends on many factors, I agree. In my case, I was a 35 hr/week salaried administrator with 7 weeks vacation (plus whatever I accumulated in lieu time), 130 paid sick days/year, and huge benefits. I researched comparable positions here in the US..... the education requirements were the same, however, they typically pay half the salary I was making, about 1/8th of the benefits, and nowhere near the vacation days. Oh, and the workweek was longer. Plus, the cost of living here in Florida is pretty high.... definitely no savings there. Though we don't have to pay State taxes so that's a bit of a saving grace.

Yep. Still feeling sick about what I left behind.

[BH45 0]

You guys are scaring me. I left a job where I had 8 weeks vacation, 13 paid holidays a year, and was making $23 an hour. And I was only 9 years from retiring.

I've a friend here who works for Uncle Sam. She told me that the starting yearly wage was $36,000 and after 1 year it goes to $47,500. I could work for that kind of money. It's more than what my yearly wage was in Northern Ontario.

Right now, I just need to get through the next few months waiting for approval and such. We hope to file my AOS/EAD/AP documents by mid-September.

[Reba 2]

Except that as a non-citizen, you couldn't work for Uncle Sam.

The job I currently have here in North Carolina, I'm making probably $20k less than a comparable job would get in the GTA where I used to live. And because we pay state income taxes, my tax rate is the same as it was back in Ontario, but with fewer government benefits to show for my money. Plus, I pay $400+ per month for healh insurance premiums! And of course vacation time allowances suck, and there's only about half the number of "stat" holidays like I used to get up home.

A friend of mine who used to frequent VJ whose husband lives in Charlotte and she lives in the GTA (she never did move down here in the end), was trying to find jobs in Charlotte and just any state in the southeast, and typically came up about $20k less than what she was making in Ontario in a programmer type field. The southeast just generally does not pay well, for anything it seems! Even a friend of mine whose a local, with a diploma in computer programming and networking makes about $25k to $30k less than friends of mine with similar jobs up in Ontario.

I dunno about other states, but the income taxes here in NC suck, the labour laws suck, the benefits suck, and the wages suck. Oh, and we even have to pay property taxes on our CARS! My head almost exploded when James first told me that!

Which is why of course we're trying to move out of state, and eventually trying to make our way to Ontario. Cost of healthcare here sux, and we're not getting any younger.

[sly_wolf 199]

Interesting to read some of the comments .... some surprising. I guess there are just many factors and everyone will have a different experience. I have heard Americans coming to Canada and shocked by the taxes here ..... Alberta would probably be the exception.

It also astonishes me how people can afford to live in and anywhere near NY city. Wages are higher but housing is terribly expensive.

I am personally hoping one day to get away from a marginal tax rate of 50%. Lol, thats my earned privilege of living in Quebec. :innocent:

If my wife were to immigrate to Canada, I think we probably would move to a more tax friendly place anyways.

Sly

[vanee 13]

At simplyhired.com, you can enter a job title (or other details) and a location and find the average salary for that job in that area. I don't know how accurate it is, though. Does it fit with what anyone here has experienced?

[k34 0]

This thread is worrisome! I already feel like I am overpaid for what I do, but I figured out that I pretty much need to earn the same as I do now because I am going to have big expenses after I move, since I will have to travel to Sarnia twice a month (4.5 hour drive) and rent an apartment there for visits with my son.

But based on the info at simplyhired.com, the average for jobs that I could get is approximately what I make now. I have no idea how taxes and whatever other deductions will compare in Chicago though. Perhaps I should look into it... but then again, it is what it is... I am moving there regardless!

Edited August 13, 2008 by kelland34

[SapphireDreams 71]

I intend to make the same or more money when I move, hopefully more. I knwo my cost of living will increase slightly, so the extra pay should make up for it. I work in a public relations specializing in tech so my experience is pretty much golden. It's also really hard to find good people at PR agencies and they have high turnover, so there are usually always jobs available, especially in New York City, where I'll be moving. The move is actually going to help my career if anything.

And actually it's funny because right now my boyfriend actually has way more vacation than me, he actually has a ridiculous amount for working at a small U.S. company.

[Neja 0]

The pay in NYC is pretty good from my experience. I've also been fortunate enough to have a really low cost of living compared to the average New Yorker. I started out at $40,000 for receptionist/admin type work. It's the most money I'd ever made doing easy work! The financial industry pays well over here. I also lucked out with amazing benefits - free dental, health, vision and 15 days of vacation a year which seems to be better than alot of US companies offer. We used to have unlimited sick days but then there was a merger which reduced sick days to 5 a year.

[k34 0]

Oh wow! I need to get my citizenship ASAP! Homeland Security Investigator (which I am otherwise qualified for) = $91K - $119K!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

kelland, it may be more economical for you to stay in a hotel for the two weekends you are in Sarnia with your son rather than renting an apartment that will be vacant the majority of the time. You are coming in on a K-1? You realize that there will be a period of time where you won't be able to leave the US - the time between your arrival and the approval of your AP which will be approximately 90 days after your file for your AOS which is after you get married? I just want to make sure you are aware of that with regards to visiting with your son once you cross the border.

Edited August 13, 2008 by Kathryn41

[k34 0]

Yeah, I knew about that. I would get a place in Port Huron right across the border for the first little while. I thought of just staying in a hotel, but I want my son to have a place where his toys and stuff are always there. He's only 7 (almost), so things like that are important to him, I think.

[Jenni and Bo 0]

Hmm...

Well I want to go into Policing when I get to NC, and I have already looked into wages and know they make about 15K less than an RCMP officer :S That makes me a bit sad (and they wonder why they have a high turnover rate in Raleigh ) This thread makes me worried, but my SO has a decent job and we knew if he came here, he would not have been able to get a job that makes what he has now (poor ol' east coast and it's job situation).

I think I have him convinced to come back to Canada at some point though...It's been my dream to be a Mountie since I was little

<3 Jen

[Reba 2]

according to simplyhired, I'm being paid about $10k less than the state average for receptionist jobs

I should speak to my boss.

[Flames9_RN 358]

many states require you to be a USA citizen to be a police officer, i do believe there are a few that don't. I know Maryland was looking into opening it up to Permanent Residents.

New RN's make around $25 an hr plus shift differential/weekends here in the DC region . That is in line what my sisters started out in SK. I don't think there is a huge difference in pay between a Canadian bedside RN and a USA RN any longer. I haven't worked since I got here for the most part, so any $$ will be more,lol I know when I ref'd hockey, the pay was very good, for an adult rec game was like $55!! not bad for a bit of exercise in 1.5 hrs

Usually the $$ is going to be more in the bigger cities, i know thats the case for nursing. But of course your cost of living is higher!! Always seems to be a trade off