Layoffs Are Real, But U.S. Workers Are Hopeful, According to a New CareerBuilder Survey of Full-Timers
CareerBuilder Offers Survival Tips
RESTON, Va., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Workforce reductions and layoff
stresses are real, as indicated by today's announcement of the August
unemployment figure at 4.9 percent -- the highest level since September 1997.
Although worried, most workers remain hopeful about job security, according to
a new CareerBuilder survey tracking the opinions of full-time workers during
the same August period as measured by the unemployment figure.
Thirty-seven percent of workers say they work for employers who have
undergone layoff s in 2001. In addition, 65 percent say layoff threats exist
at their companies. In addition, 56 percent say they are working under
stressful conditions. Fifty-seven percent say workloads have increased and 48
percent say their workloads are too heavy.
"Layoffs are stressful and are closing some doors for workers, but other
doors will continue to open for people who are prepared, have valuable skills
and remain flexible," said Diane Strahan, a senior career advisor and vice
president of marketing with CareerBuilder, the force behind the most powerful
local and national career network on the Web.
Strahan offers the following tips to help workers manage their careers in
the current economy:
* Stay continuously connected to the job market.
* Look outside of your industry for new opportunities.
* Be open to relocation.
* Develop new career roles.
* Keep a strong cash reserve.
"Workers who are open to new locations, industries and challenges will
continue to thrive," Strahan said. "For workers who are layoff survivors at
companies where there have been cutbacks, this is an opportunity to be
positive and expand skills and experiences."
Forty-one percent of workers say job security in 2001 is about the same as
it was in 2000, with 32 percent of workers claiming that they have more job
security this year, and 27 percent claiming that they have less job security.
Another encouraging note is that workers remain relatively hopeful about
their abilities to find new jobs if they are impacted by layoffs. If laid
off, almost half of workers estimate that they can find a comparable job in
less than a month, according to the CareerBuilder survey of more than 1,200
full-time workers; 64 percent say a new job hunt will take them less than two
months and three-fourths say they can land a comparable job in less than three
months.
Additional job seeker advice can be found at careerbuilder.com in its
special report, Are You Happy at Work: State of the Worker 2001, featuring its
new radio show with celebrity guest, Ben Stein. Articles include Expanding
Corporate Diversity, Test Your Career Knowledge and Facing the Reality of Non-
stop Work.
About the Survey
The CareerBuilder Workers in the New Economy of Choice: A Career Portrait
was conducted August 9, 2001, through August 15, 2001. A total of 1,264 full-
time workers participated in the survey. To collect data for the survey,
CareerBuilder commissioned SurveySite to use an e-mail methodology whereby
individuals who are members of SurveySite Web Panel were randomly selected and
approached by e-mail invitation to participate in the online survey. The
results of this survey are accurate within +/- 2.8 percent.
About CareerBuilder, LLC
CareerBuilder, backed by media giants Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB) and
Knight Ridder (NYSE: KRI), 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 70 of the Internet's best career sites, in just a
couple of clicks. CareerBuilder also provides personalized career services and
advice. The CareerBuilder Network is the most powerful career network on the
Web, including careerbuilder.com - the flagship career center - and the career
centers of premier destination sites including MSN, Bloomberg.com,
iVillage.com and latimes.com, Philly.com, chicagotribune.com and BayArea.com.
Visit CareerBuilder at http://www.careerbuilder.com.
CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com
