I’ve noticed Help Wanted signs in many shops since about February. I started thinking it was a result of the population exodus, and I am sure that is the reason.
We’ve got 44,000 people a year leaving SD as of the year ending June 30, 2005, and I bet it’s 55,000 this year, as the rate of stuff like this changes pretty quickly. This leaves less need for workers, but also openings. At Henry’s, they finally (after 6 weeks of Want Signs) found a cashier, and I was in line forever, waiting for her to look up all the produce codes.
Start looking for signs of the population exodus. It’s the silent epidemic. No one really talks about it, but it’s going on in a big way.
Do you remember when we had 50K people/year coming here, because the economy was booming? It is not booming anymore. Our wages are too low for the cost of living.
I went to the Fair over the weekend, and boy oh boy, is that a motley crew. A real slice of life. I never see so many down and out looking people in my regular life, as at that Fair. Looking at all those colorful folks, I am reminded that most of San Diego is made of people who are not college educated, and who cannot afford even half the median priced house. How do all those people even afford to live here?
