If you are job-hunting with an eye toward the United States, you might want to investigate opportunities in Austin employment. Austin, Texas, is in mid-Texas, some four hours from the Gulf of Mexico. It has a diverse employment possibilities between its many corporations, government positions and its music emphasis.
Austin, the capital of Texas, has won designations like All America City Award and the fifth safest city in the U.S. by population. It is home to the famous American bicyclist Lance Armstrong and is considered a center for bicycling. It promotes itself as the live music capital of the world and is reported to have more than 100 live music venues. Austin employment allows people to keep more of their income because Texas itself has no personal income tax.
In December 2008, Austin unemployment hovered at 4 percent; the U.S. average unemployment rate was five percent. Austin employment is due largely to Austin’s role as a technology hub, its position as state capital, and the location of a number of headquarters and regional headquarters of large corporations.
Whole Foods Market is the largest North American retailer of natural and organic foods. Temple-Inland is a corporation that makes building products and corrugated packaging. Freescale semiconductor manufactures semiconductors, microprocessers, microcontrollers and more. Other employers with Austin area headquarters include National Instruments Corp., Healthtronics, Dell Computers, 3M, Southwestern Bell, and IBM’s research laboratory. If you are looking for Austin employment opportunities, those corporations would be a good place to start. With offices in Austin, Emerson Process Management provides water and power solutions to industries worldwide.
Austin employment figures point to 22 percent of the population with federal, state or local government jobs. As the capital of Texas, Austin is home to its state agencies, all of which require staffing. If you are interested in administrative, environmental or management positions, there may be Austin employment on the state, federal or city level that would appeal to you.
Other Austin employment opportunities exist at the more than 11 hospitals that serve the area. Likewise, many find employment at one of the many colleges in the area. These include the University of Texas at Austin, Austin Community College District. Religious area institutions include the Austin Graduate School of Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. Concordia University is a small Lutheran liberal arts college.
Austin employment opportunities also spring from its live music venues. These require technical, audio and visual support technicians and engineers. This emphasis on music has helped ensure a constant stream of tourism to the area. Hotels, restaurants, conference planning and public relations are all other possibilities for Austin employment.
Austin City Links at austinlinks.com/Business/jobs.shtml can link you with Austen employment opportunities at more than fifty area employers. Another site lists east Austin employment opportunities: www.eastaustinonline.com/career.htm. To find more about Austin employment, visit http://www.austinjobs.com. City government jobs are listed at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/hr/default.htm. You can submit resumes, look for jobs, and research the area. Emerson Process Management, an Austin firm, lists its positions at www.frco.com/systems/careers/aus_jobs. Templeinland.com/Careers/benefits.asp can link you to possible Temple-Inland jobs in Austin. Information on Austin employment at Freescale can be found at www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/homepage.
Like most large Southern U.S. cities, Austin has lagged behind on public transportation. Some 90 percent of Austin residents report driving to work every day. Only 130,000 out of the 1.4 million in the area are reported to take the bus. The bus system, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has 3,000 stops. In addition, the Dillos, the Armadillo Express trolleys, provide free transportation to UT-Austin, the State Capitol, and other sites of interest. There is no commuter rail system.
A warm weather climate means high summer temperatures and humidity. An average summer day can range from the low 90s to more than 100 degrees. Winter highs generally average around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Austin has had a significant amount of tornados over the years. The tornado threat in Austin is twice that of the national average. In 2007, 28 people died due to one tornado system that hit the greater Austin area.
Austin’s cost of living is just below the national average. Transportation is the highest cost, probably because of the limited amount of public transportation. Health care and miscellaneous services costs are both at or above national average. (By comparison, New York cost of living rate is 210 percent and Los Angeles is 151 percent. ) Utilities hover just below the national average. High bills for air conditioning usuage are common due to the continuous high heat.
Rent is lower than in comparable cities as are property taxes. Median price for a home in Austin (2007) was $183,700, which was $38,000 less than the national average. About ten percent of Austin residents live below the poverty level.
The area’s racial makeup is predominantly European-white or Hispanic. As in most southern states, the Christian religion plays a large role in society. The largest private elementary schools tend to be Christian-based with the exception of Austin Waldorf and Austin Montessori schools. Private high schools are primarily religion-based as well. At present, the Catholic Church is the largest area religion with Baptist as the second largest congregational group.
Austin is a busy metropolitan area with an emphasis on its music scene. As you seek Austin employment, hopefully you will find many opportunities to interest you. A downloadable Newcomer’s Guide as well as a video are available on the Austin Chamber of Commerce website. Visit http://www.austin-chamber.org/LiveWork/MoveToAustin/index.html.
