Despite Weak Labor Market, Workers Still Plan to Job Change

January 10, 2010 – Recent improvements in the economy may have some workers preparing to move to a new job in the new year, with nearly one-in-five workers (19 percent) reporting they plan to leave their current job in 2010 to find a new one. Nine percent said they plan to leave in 2011. This is according to CareerBuilder’s latest survey conducted between November 5 and November 23, 2009, among more than 5,200 workers. Many employers were forced to make some tough business decisions in 2009, and may be pushing workers to make some difficult decisions as well. One-in-10 workers (12 percent) whose companies cut benefits or perks said they would stay at their current jobs for six months or less, while 27 percent of workers who did not receive a raise or promotion in 2009 said they would leave their current positions in less than a year if they did not receive either. Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) workers who experienced pay cuts said they are willing to stay at their current jobs for only six months or less. “Many of the decisions employers made last year were designed to preserve the health of their businesses and many survived because of them,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of HR for CareerBuilder. “In some cases, workers were affected by the cost cutting measures and job satisfaction levels suffered. For example, 61 percent of employees said they were satisfied at their jobs last year – down from 70 percent in 2008.”