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How OKC Workers Can Jump From $16 to $25+ an Hour · The 405 Payroll

• 0:13
  You know, if you look at the standard online job boards around Oklahoma City right
• 0:18
  now, things can look...
• 0:20
  um, surprisingly quiet on the surface.
• 0:24
  Yeah, like everyone is just sitting on their hands, right?
• 0:28
  Right!
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  But according to data from the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber,
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  our metro unemployment is holding firm at a crazy low 3.2 percent,
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  with 121 companies actively considering relocation or expansion in the region.
• 0:43
  The real action isn't on public sites.
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  It's happening through stealth employer investments, like Our Blood Institute moving
• 0:51
  nearly 250 headquarters and logistics workers into a unified North OKC facility.
• 0:57
  So wait...
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  over 70 percent of that local recruitment is happening in light manufacturing and
• 1:04
  healthcare delivery behind the scenes?
• 1:07
  Exactly.
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  And when unemployment is sitting at 3.2 percent, property managers and supervisors
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  are competing aggressively just to hold onto reliable talent.
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  Which gives current apartment renters some real, unusual bargaining power for
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  immediate pay bumps if you know where to look.
• 1:27
  I, I used to think corporate press releases were just PR fluff,
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  but seeing them translate to actual neighborhood hiring in North OKC?
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  That changes things.
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  So let's talk about what is opening up right now, this very week.
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  Our Blood Institute is recruiting phlebotomists, lab processing aides,
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  and mobile inventory coordinators at that new facility up on the Northwest 122nd
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  corridor.
• 1:53
  Oh yeah?
• 1:55
  What kind of pay are we looking at there?
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  Starting rates run from $17.50 to $19.20 per hour, complete with full healthcare
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  benefits and paid on the job training.
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  And over at Oklahoma Works on 5005 North Lincoln Boulevard,
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  Goodwill Central Oklahoma and Utility Asset Management are holding direct walk in
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  interviews.
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  Direct walk ins?
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  For what roles?
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  Warehouse sorters, donation intake leads, and field utility technicians,
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  paying anywhere from $16.00 to $20.50 per hour.
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  And the kicker is, both OBI and Goodwill offer guaranteed internal promotion tracks
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  and tuition assistance within 90 days.
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  Man, back when I was working early morning shift work, I would have killed for that.
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  Securing a spot with employer paid training in 90 days beats sitting around for
• 2:50
  three weeks waiting on an automated job portal email every single time.
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  Now, if you want to jump from that $16.00 entry line up into the $22.00 to $28.00
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  hourly bracket, you need targeted short term credentials.
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  But doesn't trade school take months and cost a fortune?
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  Not necessarily!
• 3:13
  Metro Tech's Springlake Campus at 1900 Springlake Drive offers fast track Commercial
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  Driver's License Class A and Health Careers certifications that take four to eight
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  weeks.
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  And while tuition is normally $450 to $1,200, eligible Oklahoma County residents can
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  get 100 percent full funding through COWIB Workforce Innovation grants and the
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  EMPOWER program.
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  Wait, let me do the math on that...
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  going from $17.00 an hour to $25.50 an hour...
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  That generates an extra $1,360 in net monthly cash flow.
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  That covers an average OKC two bedroom rent check in just two weekly paychecks!
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  Plus, Metro Tech runs night and weekend classes so you don't have to quit your day
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  job.
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  What if someone needs cash in hand like...
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  this weekend though?
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  Fast cash flow relief?
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  You can leverage flexible local platforms like Veryable for light industrial work,
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  or stage venues at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds and RIVERSPORT OKC.
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  That pays $120 to $180 for an eight hour shift with daily payout.
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  Or delivery loops through Amazon Flex or Spark Driver across Edmond,
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  Moore, and South OKC, earning $22 to $27 an hour during peak weekend slots.
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  The key strategy here is treat daily payout work as a tactical ten day sprint to
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  build a $500 emergency buffer, not a permanent, high burnout lifestyle.
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  Yeah, don't run yourself into the ground gigging endlessly.
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  Cap your hours so you still have the energy to pursue those high wage
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  certifications.
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  While you are building that career bridge, you can also plug cash leaks using local
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  safety nets.
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  According to state resource guides, the Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and
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  Oklahoma and Canadian Counties located at 319 Southwest 25th Street offers emergency
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  utility payment assistance for OG&E and ONG bills.
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  To stop cut offs and keep household budgets stable?
• 5:26
  Exactly.
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  You can reach them at 405-232-0199.
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  They also provide free VITA tax prep to help local workers claim the Earned Income
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  Tax Credit, which can be worth up to $3,900 annually.
• 5:42
  Wait, $3,900?
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  And people miss out on that?
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  Over 35 percent of eligible working households in Oklahoma County fail to claim it
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  simply because commercial tax pop ups charge huge fees that eat up their return.
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  Pairing utility relief with free tax prep creates a double financial cushion while
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  you step up your income.
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  It really reminds me of Marcus, a retail clerk down in South OKC.
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  He used CAA utility support to hold off bill pressure while taking a funded six week
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  Metro Tech evening program.
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  Now he's a certified logistics coordinator making $24.50 an hour,
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  cleared his credit cards, and renewed his lease with zero stress.
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  That is what it's all about.
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  If you want to take one actionable step before 5:00 PM today,
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  go to metrotech.edu to check out Springlake short term schedules,
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  or call Community Action Agency at 405-232-0199 for utility
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  assistance.
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  Moving up in OKC isn't about grinding 80 hours a week until you crash.
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  It's about grabbing the local tools right in front of you.
• 6:58
  Couldn't agree more.
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  Talk soon, everyone.