Poll: Almost Half of Workers are Job Seekers

A news release from Yahoo! HotJobs said its poll of 1,000 working Americans found that more than four in 10 currently employed respondents reported being ready to enter the job market within the next year. A quarter of respondents said they were already hunting for a new employer.

The overwhelming majority (96%) of those surveyed who intend to have a new employer said their decision was driven by getting better pay and benefits. Other reasons for job seeking included:

• 44% said they felt there was no potential for career growth in their current positions.
• nearly one-in-five (18%) wanted a better commute.
• one in four (25%) felt that they were not valued employees.
• about one in four (29%) cited the desire to work for a company with a “higher morale.”

The recruiting site said many of the job changers will likely be headed south. Eight out of ten areas the site identified as having the best chance for a good work-life balance are in the southern US.

In alphabetical order, the top 10 cities are: Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; New York, New York; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; San Diego, California; Scottsdale, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; and the Washington, DC metro area.

“This data suggests job seekers are inclined to seek out new jobs in the coming year, and there are specific motivators behind this behavior,” said Marc Karasu, Yahoo! HotJobs vice president of marketing in the news release. “Employees are sensing more opportunities and better total compensation packages, and they’re making plans to go after them. Current employers should take stock of their own talent acquisition and retention models as they prepare for their staffing needs for 2006.”