Stay aboard or abandon ship: most workers say they'll stick to their current jobs even if economy rebounds

Hispanic Times Magazine, Fall, 2003

A rekindling of the economy may not be enough to sway some American workers to jump back into the employment market, according to a recent survey. Sixty-five percent of participants in a nationwide poll indicated that they were not likely to change jobs in the next six months even if conditions improve.

Accountemps, the world's first and largest temporary staffing service for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals, developed the survey. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 630 randomly selected participants living in the United States, who are 18 years or older and employed full or part time.

Survey participants were asked, "If the economy improved, how likely would you be to make a job change in the next six months?" Their responses:

Very likely          20%
Somewhat likely      14%
Somewhat unlikely    13%
Very unlikely        52%
Don't know            1%
                    100%

"Job hopping was common in the late 1990s when unemployment was at record lows," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Motivating Employees For Dummies (Hungry Minds, Inc.). "But an enduring recession marked by frequent layoffs has prompted workers to be more cautious."

While most people will choose stability over the unknown at least for the short term, more than one-third (34 percent) of respondents said they would likely change jobs if business conditions improve, underscoring the importance of staff retention efforts in any economic environment.

Younger workers are the most inclined to search for greener pastures in an upturn. Forty-eight percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 said they would consider a switch compared with only 17 percent of professionals aged 55 and up (see chart).

Not surprisingly, those with more income to lose were more likely to stay put. Only 20 percent of workers in the highest-earning households ($75,000 and up) would contemplate leaving their positions, while close to half (47 percent) of those making under $25,000 annually said they would possibly look for a new job.

"Employers should take steps now to prepare for a stronger job market," said Messmer. "Motivation is critical--often a company's best employees are the first to leave if their contributions continually go unrecognized and unrewarded."

Accountemps has more than 320 offices throughout North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com.

Accountemps

Survey participants were asked, "If the economy improved, how likely
would you be to make a job change in the next six months?" Their
responses:

Very unlikely        52%
Don't know            1%
Very likely          20%
Somewhat likely      14%
Somewhat unlikely    13%

Source:

Note: Table from pie chart.

Responses by Age Group

               Likely     Unlikely
18-34           48%
35-44           29%
45-54           24%
55              17%

Age Group

Source: Accountemps

Note: Table from bar graph.

Responses by Household Income

                Likely     Unlikely
Under $25K        47%
$25-$49.9K        39%
$50-74.9K         26%
$75K              20%

Household Income

Source: Accountemps

Note: Table from bar graph.