U.S. employment wages

[trailmix 77]

Ok, I know that no one wants to discuss what their wages are or their SO's wages are - however, I am wondering what you all have found here and if wages are just incredibly low in the Orlando, Florida area and just for IT jobs, or if it's a general thing here.

My Husband just left an interview - the wages offered for the job are appalling. If you have a university degree you start at a higher rate - which would be equal to the hourly rate for working in a retail store in Calgary.

I would be interested to know what you all have found.

[payxibka 10,047]

My wife who is a pharmacist by education in her country, was able to find a retail job at $6.85 hr.

[Krikit 1,165]

Yes, appalling is a good word for it. I find the wages here in the US (not just in Florida) extremely low. Probably one of the reasons I haven't made any attempt to search for employment. There is no way that I am working my a$$ off (and they do work your a$$ off) for a token payment with only a few days vacation thrown in for relief. It's disgusting.

Honestly..... sometimes I drive myself crazy just thinking about all I gave up.

[LindaB 0]

Thats why I glad that I am close enough to see be able to continue working at my job in Canada!!

So many people have told me I should get a job down in Bellingham but I tell them "There is no way, if I told them in an interview how much I made now and how many vacation days and extra days off I had, they would laugh me out of the office!!!!!"

[Cdn_Ali 11]

How are you finding the daily commute, Linda? Do you work right downtown? I'm a bit worried about leaving my nice job here too - I feel for you Krikit!

[PlatyPius 5]

Here in Indiana, many "IT" jobs pay in the $25K - $35K range. For "PC Movers" (ie: set up new PCs) they pay $8/hr or so.

[Emancipation 2]

Here in CT I find wages higher.> i'm making more now than I did in Canada.. Hubby says he is making the most that he can in the US here in this area of the country - of course there's also the 30% premium that's placed on everything here that cuts into the "profit" so to speak.

[LindaB 0]

How are you finding the daily commute, Linda? Do you work right downtown? I'm a bit worried about leaving my nice job here too - I feel for you Krikit!

It is not too bad, I work in Burnaby (near Edmonds skytrain) and it takes approx. an hour. I was living in White Rock before I moved so just another 25 minutes farther. I have Nexus so that helps going home but coming to work the Nexus lane is not open yet so have to go through the regular lane and normally only a few cars. It helps that I carpool with a friend from White Rock so some days I drive to her place and she drives and leave my car there and other days I pick her up and drive to work. Eventually we would like to move closer to the border so my commute will be shorter.

[G&A 1]

Though I find a job really quickly....it really sucks. I am making about 10K more than I was in Canada...but my after tax cash flow is the same as it was in Canada. So all in all I am not better off. I am looking for another job....its tough. I need more $. My Canadian experience is holding me back big time!

So relatively speaking....i am making WAY less than I was in Canada. This sucks!

[Levi_Heather 0]

Thats odd because I'm here in Missouri and I make $3.50 less an hour than Levi in Manitoba but after taxes our take home is about the same! Seems to me you may start out making less but we have less tax?

[JMacQueen 0]

It's no different than making $20/hour for an entry-level job in Calgary, but only making $12/hour for a similar position in Halifax.

There are too many variables (cost of living, taxes) to make a comparison between wages in Canada and the US.

[J&K 0]

I'm working IT here (I'm not formally trained, but it's nice to have a friend who owns their own business). I do a lot of the end user work, and am being trained on some new things.

I'm making $20/hr but I'm only working around 20hrs a week.

Hoping we get a couple new clients, then I can work more. And I'm up for my annual review...so hoping for a raise too.

[sly_wolf 199]

I don't live in the US yet but I already expect that I will need to do a lot of travelling to earn better money. I have an IT/Finance background.

I currently work for a Canadian sub of a US company and my US counterpart makes more than I do and also pays less taxes. It depends on your profession and location. I find my wife is underpaid as a bank teller in the US but then she does have a pretty good health plan.

As stated before, it probably balances out ..... as long as you can stay healthy and insured. There are more opportunities in the US though ... again depends a lot on your profession.

Sly

[Carlawarla 1]

I suppose it depends on many things. Your location and the economy in that particular city, or even State. Another poster mentioned benefits, like health benefits. That can certainly off-set the salary! Maybe as well, it depends on need and demand? I'm just wondering if some areas there aren't a lot of people in a specific field, and maybe they are a dime a dozen? I know for any work in my profession, they require the same education and experience, and they're making approximately $30-35,000.00 less a year here than I was. However, Missouri is a very inexpensive State to live in. But seriously, I don't have to work, and I'm not going to, given those type of salaries. AND the benefits don't cut it either.

[Earmuffs 1]

i took about a $180 a day cut in pay.. but the cost of living is much cheaper...