Thirty-five Percent of Retail Workers Plan to Leave Their Jobs in 2006, CareerBuilder.com Survey Finds

CHICAGO, January 15, 2006 - – “Help Wanted” may become a bigger part of window signage for retailers as 35 percent of retail workers say they plan to shop for a new job in 2006, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey. Workers cite pay, workload and career development as the leading factors for their decisions to look for a new opportunities this year. The survey, “Job Forecast 2006 - Retail,” was conducted from November 15, 2005 to December 6, 2005.

Compensation continues to top the list of retail worker concerns. More than half of retail workers say they were not given a raise last year and 84 percent reported not receiving a bonus. The number of retail workers who are dissatisfied with their pay increased to 60 percent, up from 54 percent one year ago.

Better compensation isn’t the only challenge facing retailers. Two-thirds of retail workers say their workloads have increased over the last six months. The stress of more work may be causing friction between work and home, with 37 percent of workers reporting dissatisfied with their work/life balance.

Retail workers also voiced concerns over career advancement opportunities and the training they are currently receiving from their employers. When it comes to climbing the corporate ladder, 37 percent of workers felt as though they were overlooked for promotions in the past and 35 percent are not happy with the current career advancement opportunities offered to them. Additionally, three-in-ten retail workers feel their employer could do a better job with training and professional development.

“CareerBuilder.com sees more than 2.5 million job searches in retail every month,” said Diane Christopher, Retail Employment Expert at CareerBuilder.com. “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, retail salespeople will experience the largest job growth of any occupation from 2004-2014.”

CareerBuilder.com offers retailers multiple touch points to connect with potential employees. CareerBuilder.com powers the online career sites for more than 800 partners reaching national, local, industry, diversity and niche audiences. These include America Online, MSN, the National Retail Federation Foundation, Retail Industry Leaders Association, STORES Magazine, Chain Store Age and more.

Survey Methodology
The new CareerBuilder.com survey, "Job Forecast 2006 - Retail," was conducted from November 15 to December 6, 2005. Methodology used to collect survey responses totalling more than 170 retail workers for this study involved selecting a random sample of comScore Networks panel members. These Web Panel members were approached via an e-mail invitation, which asked them to participate in a short online survey. The results of this survey are statistically accurate to within +/- 7.49 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 20 million unique visitors and over 1 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), and Knight Ridder, Inc. (NYSE:KRI), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 800 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 170 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. The nation's top employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 15 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com.

Media Contact:
Michael Erwin
773-527-3637
Michael.Erwin@careerbuilder.com

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