U.S. job losers now find less-paying jobs in different fields
By siliconindia   |   Thursday, 09 April 2009, 16:40 IST   |    1 Comments
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New York: Laid off U.S. workers now do not seem to mind compromising on their pay packets and changing their verticals to get a job. Half of such people have already found jobs in different segments with a small pay package compared to that of their lost jobs, said a survey. The survey of 807 adults who lost full-time jobs in the past year showed that 49 percent had found new jobs but of those, 49 percent now earn less money. While 38 percent of newly placed are employed in a different field, 8 percent reported finding part-time work. One-sixth of those with new jobs said they had to relocate, one-sixth are now working more hours and one-sixth reported getting higher pay, the survey found. "This is encouraging news for the job seekers out there. There is a popular misconception that if you lose your job today you won't be able to find another opportunity. There are companies out there hiring today," said Jennifer Grasz, Spokeswoman of online jobs site CareerBuilder.com, for which the survey was conducted. Interestingly, the survey found that workers aged 35 to 44 were most likely to find new jobs, while workers aged 18 to 24 were least likely. More men than women found new jobs. A third of the laid-off workers said they got severance packages from their employers, and two-thirds of those said the severance lasted for two months or less. Forty-five percent of the laid-off workers said they had to tap into long-term savings. The survey was conducted between February 20 and March 11 by Harris Interactive. Its margin of error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Those questioned for the survey were chosen as representative of workers in an array of industries at various job levels around the nation, Jennifer said. Source: Reuters

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