Survey Finds Employers Bringing Back Laid Off Workers

Fifty-seven percent of workers laid off in the last six months have been re-hired by their former employer who laid them off from their jobs, the survey found. Seven-in-ten (71%) workers who were laid off in the last six months and have not found jobs said they would be willing to work for their former employer, but 22% of these workers indicated that they would only do so if their employer offered them more money.  

Speaking of money, nearly 40% of workers who were laid off in the last three months and found new jobs reported they were able to negotiate comparable or higher pay for their new position, while 61% took a pay cut, according to a CareerBuilder press release.  

Sixty-four percent of workers who were laid off in the last six months and landed new jobs said they found work in a different field than where they were previously employed, and more than half of them (55%) indicated they really enjoy their new positions. More than four-in-ten (46%) workers who were laid off in the last six months and found jobs relocated. The vast majority (93%) moved to another city versus another state.   

Of those laid off in the last six months and still looking for employment, 42% reported they would consider relocating for a job opportunity.  

Despite any compromises in salary or location, the majority of laid-off workers (63%) who found new jobs in the last six months plan to stay with their current employers when the economy turns around. Thirty-seven percent plan to change employers once market conditions improve.  

Thirty-two percent of workers who were laid off in the last six months and have not found jobs are considering starting their own businesses.