I was earning high 90’s in Queens, NY and then 6 figures in NYC. Being furloughed and then laid off, I quickly realized I no longer was to be out of the house 12 hours a day. I want to be on Long Island so I’m closer to home and I have a young child in elementary school. However, its impossible to find especially in my industry (fashion/retail). I worked in management at Steve Madden for 12 years, in production, pricing, supply chain & commercialization. I also have pricing, sourcing and procurement experience.
Short of derailing everything I’ve worked up to, and completely starting from scratch in a new position, does anyone know of management positions on Long Island that are paying these days?
We have 76% unemployment as an industry right now. Of those still working, many are taking 10%-25% pay cuts. Sadly, these sorts of jobs will be in very short supply in the near term.
I agree with grandpoobah. I believe that salaries in the industry actually started decreasing several years ago. After being laid off from a Senior level position a few years ago, it was impossible to find a job even close to what I was making, There is so much competition now, I think we have to be willing to take a step back and take a salary reduction. The key is to get in the door. Prove your worth and have a plan to advance when the opportunity arises.
I have had 2 interviews for positions in the last month that I would not have gotten pre-Covid. As positions are combined, companies see the value of bringing in people who have many years experience managing complex projects. I will work harder & take a pay cut in order to get my foot in the door with a good company.
I found that the savings on the commute, taxis and meals make a difference when considering lower salaries closer to home. I’ve had to leave the design dept and join retail locally (right around the corner). If I can find a f/t position somewhere, it would be ideal, but with the pandemic I haven’t even been back to work yet.
I agree. I took two 40% hits before I finally decided to work close to home. I’ve been out of the loop for 4 years now, so it’ll be close to impossible to get back into the industry.
