Hourly Workers See Short Job Search

December 17, 2002 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - According to CareerBuilder.com's "On the Job 2002" survey, nearly half (45%) of skilled and hourly workers said it would take less than a month for them to find a comparable job if they were laid off - but just 23% of salaried workers expected to fare as well.

In fact, 60% of salaried workers estimated that their job search would last longer than two months, and 23% said six months or longer.

Skilled and hourly workers reported higher optimism for finding a comparable job over the long run as well; with 62% saying they could find a job in two months or less.   

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Not surprisingly, when asked the perception of a job being better, 90% of skilled and hourly workers responded compensation as the most important factor.   Additional reasons given were:

  • 84% – a balance of work and life
  • 82% – benefits
  • 76% – a good relationship with their direct supervisor
  • 75% – workplace safety.

Asked what resources they utilize the most to find a new job, skilled and hourly workers report classified ads in newspapers used most often.   Additional resources, in order of use, included:

  • Networking
  • National job/career Web sites
  • Newspaper Web sites
  • Recruiters
  • Web sites of professional associations

The CareerBuilder.com survey was conducted from October 23 to December 5, 2002.   Results are based on more than 2,200 survey respondents.

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