74 Percent of Workers 'Stressed Out' By Layoff Announcements, But CareerBuilder Survey Finds Confidence in Overall Job Market
RESTON, Va., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Job market signs are mixed. The
country's unemployment rate climbed to 4.5 percent in April. Consumer
confidence remains shaky. Yet, the economy continues a 10-year growth spurt.
Economic woes have certainly raised the stress levels of U.S. workers,
according to a new CareerBuilder poll, but workers remain relatively unshaken
in their perceptions of the long-term job picture.
"People are worried, yet many workers remain confident in their abilities
to land new jobs in a reasonable amount of time," said Diane Strahan, vice
president of marketing at CareerBuilder Inc. "I think, for many, there's a
feeling that the worst is behind us and; even at its worse, this remains an
economy that values hard-working people with skills."
According to a recent CareerBuilder Network poll of nearly 6,000 workers,
72 percent of people are "stressed out by reports of widespread layoffs."
However, CareerBuilder polling also revealed that nearly half of U.S. workers,
if they were laid off today, said they could find a new job within a month.
"The higher your skill level, the more confident you should be," Strahan
said. For example, the Labor Department notes that while national
unemployment is 4.5 percent, the unemployment rate for college graduates, 25
years and over, is only 2.3 percent.
"In today's new economy, it's healthy for workers to be skeptical about
job security," Strahan added. "It's never been more important to stay
connected -- at all times -- to the job market and career opportunities."
Overwhelmingly, U.S. workers agree. When asked by a CareerBuilder poll about
long-term employment with their current employers, 87 percent said they do not
expect present jobs to carry them all the way to retirement.
To help advise workers who are laid off, careerbuilder.com created the
Layoff Survival Kit with featured articles, tips and solutions for quick
career recovery.
About CareerBuilder, LLC
CareerBuilder Inc., the most powerful career network on the Web, is the
leading provider of targeted Web recruiting. Through the CareerBuilder
Network, employers can post jobs to pinpoint exactly the right candidates by
location, industry or diversity. Job seekers can instantly search more than 75
of the Internet's best career sites, in just a couple of clicks. CareerBuilder
also provides personalized career services and advice. The CareerBuilder
Network includes careerbuilder.com -- the flagship career center -- and the
career centers of premier destination sites including MSN, Bloomberg.com, USA
TODAY.com, iVillage.com and latimes.com, Philly.com, chicagotribune.com and
BayArea.com.
CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com
