Healthcare Workers Value the Ability to Balance Work and Life More than Salary, CareerBuilder Survey Finds

Healthcare Workers Satisfied and Secure in Their Jobs; Majority Not Planning to Change Jobs This Year

CHICAGO, February 12, 2003 - Nine out of ten healthcare workers rated the ability to balance work and life as the most important job factor according to CareerBuilder’s "On the Job" survey. Rounding out the top three job factors for those in healthcare were salary and benefits. Ninety-one percent of workers in all other industries rated salary as the most important job factor, followed by the ability to balance work and life, and benefits. 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.

Compared to workers in other industries, those in healthcare reported they felt more satisfied and more secure with their jobs. Almost 60 percent of healthcare workers reported they were satisfied with their jobs as compared to 50 percent of all workers. Despite the current economic conditions, 67 percent of healthcare workers felt they have job security while 52 percent of all workers indicated they have job security.

"Healthcare is one of the most robust job markets," said Stacia Fry, a healthcare industry expert at CareerBuilder. "Not only is there opportunity, CareerBuilder’s survey shows that healthcare careers rank high in terms of job satisfaction, job security and the value of the experience acquired on the job. Those contemplating a career change or approaching college graduation should definitely consider the healthcare industry as a prime target for the next job search."

In 2002, healthcare was one of the largest industries in terms of employment with more than 11 million jobs. With the industry’s chronic shortage of qualified workers, healthcare workers were less likely to be laid off or change jobs. More than two-thirds of healthcare workers reported that their organizations had not laid off workers in 2002, compared to almost half of all workers who reported no layoffs in their organizations. While 35 percent of all workers planned to change jobs this year, only 27 percent of healthcare workers expected to find a new job.

The downside for healthcare workers is that 59 percent stated they worked under a great deal of stress as compared to 52 percent of workers in all industries. A contributor to on-the-job stress is the frustration with the inability to effectively balance work and life. Dissatisfaction with pay was a concern of fifty percent of healthcare workers, similar to other industries.

"While salaries and benefits must be competitive, healthcare workers also require the ability to maintain a balance between work and life to help them cope with the demands and the stress associated with their jobs," commented Fry. "Providing innovative approaches that enable workers to improve their balance of work and life will help healthcare organizations to attract and retain talented employees."

Fry offers the following tips to employers to help workers balance work and life:
- Provide flexible work arrangements.
- Provide child care assistance.
- Provide employee assistance programs.
- Offer resources for elder care assistance.
- Develop a work and life resource center within the organization.

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. Healthcare workers represented the largest industry segment in the survey. 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
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Jennifer Grasz
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