Nearly Half of Laid Off Workers Finding New Jobs

Nearly Half of Laid Off Workers Finding New Jobs

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Nearly Half of Laid Off Workers Finding New Jobs>

Aug. 6, 2009 — A new survey finds that nearly half of workers who were laid off in the last three months have found new jobs.>

The CareerBuilder Survey shows that 48% of workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last three months have found new full-time positions, which is up from 41% in March; 3% found part-time positions, which is down from 8% in the previous survey. >

“Despite a challenging job market, workers have been able to find employment opportunities in a variety of fields,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “Even though the number of workers who took part-time positions is tracking below last quarter, the number who found full-time jobs is notably higher. This is a positive indication that more workers who were laid off from full-time jobs were able to replace them with new full-time positions instead of taking part-time work as an interim measure to generate income. Part of this job search success is related to workers expanding career options to new industries and locations.” >

Changes in Pay
According to survey results, of workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and found new jobs, 56% reported they were able to negotiate comparable or higher pay for their new positions; 44% of workers took a pay cut, down from 49% in March. >

Transferring Skills to Other Industries and Fields
Similar to the last survey, 38% of workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and landed new jobs said they found work in a different field than where they were previously employed. >

Relocation
Survey results show that 20% of workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and found jobs relocated to a new city or state; up from 13% percent in March. Of those who are still looking for employment, 44% reported they would consider relocating for a job opportunity; up from 39% in March. >

Starting a Business
The survey found that 29% of workers who have not found jobs are considering starting their own business; up slightly from 25% in March.>

Altering Appearance
According to survey results, the competition for a smaller number of jobs is driving some workers to alter their everyday appearances in hopes of making a stronger impression. Twenty-eight percent of workers who were laid off in the last 12 months said they have changed their appearance to make themselves more attractive to potential employers; 14% said they have lost weight, 8% have changed their hair color or hairstyle and 5% are dressing to appear younger. Teeth whitening, enhanced makeup and cosmetic procedures were also cited.>

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 921 U.S. workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last 12 months ages 18 and over between May 22 and June 10, 2009 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 921, one could say with a 95% probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-3.23 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies. >

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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.