69% of Employed Americans Say They Don’t Think They Would Be Able to Find a New Job During the COVID-19 Outbreak
PHILADELPHIA, PA – According to a new survey of nearly 1,000 full/part time employed Americans conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Yoh, a leading international talent and outsourcing company and part of Day & Zimmermann, a majority of employed Americans (78%) say they would not consider a job change during the COVID-19 outbreak as long as they can continue to work at their current job.
One likely reason for the hesitancy to change jobs is the fact that almost three-quarters of employed Americans (69%) says they don’t think they would be able to find a new job during the current COVID-19 outbreak. Among all age groups, those ages 35-54 are most likely to say they don’t think they would be able to find a new job during the current COVID-19 outbreak (72%). Those 18-24 (67%) and 55+ (65%) are somewhat more optimistic.
“While many Americans are rightfully wary about changing jobs during such an uncertain time, hiring can and does happen,” said Emmett McGrath, President of Yoh. “However, it does require expert recruitment process and employers who take the steps to show workers the value they have on the business’s success. As this survey reveals, the impetus is on employers to show what steps are being taken to ensure safety and, as much as possible, long term job prospects even during a pandemic.”
See the infographic below for an overview.
Additional findings of this survey include:
- Employed Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen X Americans more open to job changes and interested in corporate responsibility compared to older employed Americans.
- 69% of those 44 and younger vs. 55% of those 45 and older would consider changing jobs during the coronavirus outbreak if they felt their current company was not doing enough to protect their employees.
- 60% of those 44 and younger vs. 42% of those 45 and older would consider changing jobs during the coronavirus outbreak to work for a company that is actively making a difference to help the situation.
- 56% of those 44 and younger vs. 36% of those 45 and older say working in the current COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak has made them reconsider if they are in the right job.
Watch a brief video detailing the survey below.
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Yoh from April 8-10, 2020 among 993 U.S. adults ages 18 and older employed full/part time. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Joe McIntyre at joe@gobraithwaite.com.