Skip to Content
Back to Press Room


Seventeen Percent of Government Workers Plan to Look for a New Job in 2006, CareerBuilder.com Survey Finds

CHICAGO, February 21, 2006 - Nearly one-in-five government workers are dissatisfied with their current jobs and 17 percent say they plan to change jobs this year, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey. Workers cite increased workload, lack of effective leadership and dissatisfaction with pay as the leading factors influencing their decisions to look for new opportunities this year. The survey, “Job Forecast 2006 - Government,” was conducted from November 15, 2005 to December 6, 2005.

Sixty-two percent of government workers say their workloads have increased in the last six months, while more than half feel their workloads overall have become unmanageable, up from 44 percent last year. Shuffling between commitments at work and home is proving problematic for government workers; 31 percent say they are dissatisfied with their work/life balance.

Nearly half of government workers say they are unhappy with the way top management is running the office; one-in-four are not happy with their direct supervisors. Management may want to focus on professional development since 37 percent of government workers say they are dissatisfied with the available opportunities to advance their careers; approximately one-third are not happy with the development and training programs currently offered to them.

Compensation is also weighing on the minds of government workers. One-in-four say they were not given a raise last year and 86 percent did not see a bonus. It is not surprising that 39 percent are expressing dissatisfaction with pay.

“The aging government workforce is preparing to retire over the next few years, taking valuable skills and knowledge with them,” said Stan Paul, General Manager of CareerBuilder.com’s Government Services. “As workers retire and the labor force tightens, government agencies must be prepared to adjust their recruitment strategies, to compete with both public and private sector employers, to capture top talent.”

CareerBuilder.com on average sees more than 1.5 million job searches in government every month and offers government agencies 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. They include Governing.com, Air Force Times, Army Times and many more.

Survey Methodology
The new CareerBuilder.com survey, "Job Forecast 2006 - Government," was conducted from November 15 to December 6, 2005. Methodology used to collect survey responses totalling more than 170 government 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 +/- 7.45 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 www.careerbuilder.com.

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


CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com