Retail Workers More Dissatisfied With Their Jobs Than Workers in Other Industries, CareerBuilder Survey Reveals

Four-in-ten Retail Workers Plan to Change Jobs This Year

CHICAGO, January 14, 2003 - Working in retail always has presented its own unique challenges and rewards. A recent CareerBuilder survey shows that retail workers were more dissatisfied with their jobs as compared to workers in other industries. Thirty-six percent of retail workers indicated that they were dissatisfied as compared to 29 percent of workers in other industries. In addition, only 42 percent of retail workers reported satisfaction with their jobs while 50 percent of workers in other industries reported that they were satisfied. CareerBuilder, the industry's most complete recruitment source for efficiently finding better candidates and jobs, periodically tracks the opinions of workers on a variety of topics.

Pay is a primary concern of most workers, especially for those working in retail. Nearly 59 percent of retail workers indicated that they were dissatisfied with their pay and 51 percent of workers in all industries said they were dissatisfied with their pay.

The struggle to balance work and life continues. Almost four-in-ten retail workers were dissatisfied with their balance of work and life as compared to three-in-ten of all workers.

"With retail companies feeling the pressure to do more with less in today's economy, we are seeing more retail workers express unhappiness with their jobs," said Richard Castellini, a retail industry expert at CareerBuilder. "Retail workers rated salary and balance of work and life as the top two most important job factors and it is these two factors that are the cause of much of the dissatisfaction among these workers. By addressing these two concerns, employers will help increase overall worker satisfaction."

Forty-three percent of retail workers are planning to change jobs this year as compared to 35 percent of workers in all industries. The majority of retail workers stated that the primary reason for seeking a change is to find a better job. While 72 percent of all workers indicated that they had felt a constant or slight threat of a layoff, only 3 percent of retail workers and 10 percent of workers in other industries stated that they were planning to change jobs due to downsizing or a layoff.

"With four-in-ten retail workers on the hunt for a new job this year, one of the easiest ways to look for a job is to submit a profile online or via the phone using CareerBuilder's skilled and hourly product," said Castellini. "By submitting a profile, hourly workers can let prospective employers know their work preferences, education and experience. Employers then simply tap into CareerBuilder's skilled and hourly resume database and quickly identify those candidates who meet their hourly job requirements based on this time-saving pre-interview process."

Online at CareerBuilder.com or via phone at 888-808-jobs (5627), workers can select job categories such as retail, customer service/call center, healthcare, hotel/hospitality, office administration/clerical, restaurant/food service, sales, skilled labor, manufacturing, construction and general labor/other. They can apply for hourly jobs in their area using up to five different profiles. Skilled and hourly workers will be able to control their profile's privacy and confidentiality as they are building it. This also streamlines searches for employers by quickly matching profiles to specific positions.

The Survey
The CareerBuilder.com survey, "On the Job 2002," was conducted from October 23 to December 5, 2002 of more than 2,300 survey respondents. Retail workers represented the second largest industry segment in the survey, second only to healthcare workers. To collect data for the survey, CareerBuilder.com commissioned SurveySite to use an e-mail methodology whereby individuals who are members of the 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 +/- 2.0 percent (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder is a leading online source for maximizing recruitment dollars and optimizing job searches with superior products, customer service and technology. With a unique combination of national, local and niche audiences, CareerBuilder makes it easy for recruiters to reach the most qualified candidates with industry-leading market research data and support. Job seekers can search for the right job from more than 400,000 continuously updated postings, representing more than 25,000 of the top employers in virtually every industry, field and location. Together with Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), and Knight Ridder, Inc. (NYSE:KRI), CareerBuilder includes the Web's top newspaper sites - the most trusted employment sources in recruiting. For more information about CareerBuilder products and services, call 888-670-TEAM or 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