Job Market in the U.S.

[Froodpeas 0]

I'm just wondering what the job market is like in the U.S., specifically in the Chicago area. I'm a student, so I'd be looking for a basic, entry level, part-time kind of thing. How much per hour, on average, is a person in that sort of job making? How easy or hard is it to find work right now? I'm kind of worried about moving to America, since the economy in Canada is doing so well, and from what I've seen, the economy in America is struggling.

[Nancy2015 2]

I'm just wondering what the job market is like in the U.S., specifically in the Chicago area. I'm a student, so I'd be looking for a basic, entry level, part-time kind of thing. How much per hour, on average, is a person in that sort of job making? How easy or hard is it to find work right now? I'm kind of worried about moving to America, since the economy in Canada is doing so well, and from what I've seen, the economy in America is struggling.

I don't know much about the Chicago area, but I can share my experience in the San Fran Bay Area I was also a student - I came to the U.S. after I got my degree in Moscow to continue my education (get a certificate), cause there was a certain field I wanted to get into, and my degree wasn't in that field.

Job market here is not very good. It's highly competitive, there may be as many as 200 applicants for one office job. And most of them are qualified.

However, if you don't mind working in an entry-level part-time job, you may be in luck. Starting pay for these jobs in my area is about $10 an hour (I'm guessing, Chicago should be pretty close to that too). If you don't need 40 hours a week and benefits, getting a job is much easier. Like any recent college grad, you will have to put up with ####### for a while, but make sure you get a job at a company that can promote you - you can expect to be promoted after a year, maybe even less.

Most people here get jobs through networking. If that's something you can't do, try targeting companies you like directly (apply on their websites), or try craigslist.org. Monster and careerbuilder are reportedly good too, but I myself had no luck with them. Also, temp agencies can get you an office job fast, and lack of experience won't be too much of an issue.

A lot depends on your profession too. If you're in some technical field, then it would be better if someone with the knowledge of the tech market chimes in, cause it's something I haven't researched, and don't think I ever will.

Since English is your first language, you don't have one problem that all of us, ESL people had to overcome - that is, suspicious ignorant employers who discard your resume just because they assume your English is bad. It was really annoying when interviewers asked me: "Since you're Russian, are you sure you're comfortable speaking English?" Duh... If I weren't, maybe I wouldn't be applying for your job?? And maybe I wouldn't be living in a country where I'm not comfortable speaking the language? Oh well...

Back to topic My guess is, you will have more luck than immigrants who have lots of experience under their belt , try to get a job in their field, and then find out they have to prove their qualifications are equivalent to the U.S. qualifications Entry-level jobs are out there, up for grabs, and I think it's something that most of us have to deal with for a while.

Good luck!

[Waiting in Vancouver 6]

I live in Illinois about 1.5 hours from southwest of Chicago and it really comes down to what your abilities are. Will you be looking in a specific field or basically looking for any sort of job. I think there are lots of jobs out there. I know the place my wife works at they are always hiring and all they require is high school graduation. The problem is they have a high turn over because alot of the "younger" people they have hired in the past don't have motivation and will blow off work and what not. Her company doesn't tolerate this nor should any. I believe they start at around $10 an hour.

[Reba 2]

if you wanna go further west, apparently there is a worker shortage in Montana and Utah!

Unemployment rate in Illinois is currently about 5.2, Chicago Metro area is about 5.5%. The national rate is 4.6%

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Do a search on monster for jobs in the area. Also on craiglist - this should give you an idea of what types of jobs are in higher demand. Good luck.

Oh! and could you prettttyy ... it helps us all. Welcome to VJ!

Peace, L.

[no one 0]

I'm just wondering what the job market is like in the U.S., specifically in the Chicago area. I'm a student, so I'd be looking for a basic, entry level, part-time kind of thing. How much per hour, on average, is a person in that sort of job making? How easy or hard is it to find work right now? I'm kind of worried about moving to America, since the economy in Canada is doing so well, and from what I've seen, the economy in America is struggling.

Like others said, it totally depends on your field / area of expertise.

I also don't know much about Chicago, but I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area and I landed my job within a few weeks of job search... that was a LOT quicker than past job searches in Toronto (Canada) had been for me. The job I landed is in my field of work, but I'm also kind of overqualified for it (I have Ontario teaching certification which is useless here in California... so I'm not working as a certified teacher, but I'm still in the realm of education).

Most entry-level jobs here start around $10, but min wage is $7-something. The costs of living here are also waaaay up high (even when compared to that of Toronto!), so that's also something to consider when job-searching.

I'd say that if you're looking for an entry-level, p/t deal, it shouldn't be hard to land at all.

[Jamie76 0]

Agreed...If your field is in high demand, you are not going to have a lot of trouble finding a job. I don't think language is always a barrier either. If you can speak halfway decent english, you should be ok. Living in southern Arizona, it seems like a good portion are this way as Spanish seems to be the primary language.

Also, if you have a language that is in high demand, you could find a job as an interpreter.