Study Shows That 47% Of Frustrated Job Seekers Searching Outside Their Field
A FlexJobs survey of 2,100 remote workers during the pandemic between March 17 and April 5, 2021 found that remote work is here to stay. A total of 58% of respondents said they would look for a new job if they weren’t allowed to continue working from home in their current position after the pandemic. Another 65% wanted to work remotely full-time post-pandemic, while 33% hoped for a hybrid work arrangement—divided between the office and at home.
Months later in the midst of a complicated job market, The FlexJobs Summer 2021 Unemployment Survey—running between June 8, 2021 and June 28, 2021—surveyed more than 1,800 women (62%) and men (37%) currently out of work to discover more about their unemployment experiences. The survey found that 69% of those currently unemployed are out of work as a direct result of the pandemic, and 42% have been out of work for a year. With millions of job openings and millions unemployed, job seekers are struggling to find work, and companies are struggling to fill positions.
A total of 48% of unemployed job seekers said they are frustrated in their job search because they can’t find the right jobs to apply for, causing many of them to rethink the parameters of their job searches. Fully 47% are actively looking outside their current career to find employment. The vast majority (85%) are willing to take a pay cut in order to secure a job, and 40% have applied to jobs for which they think they’re overqualified. Despite their earnestness in searching, job seekers continue to be frustrated by obstacles in their way:
46% say jobs are too low-paying.
42% say employers are unresponsive.
41% say they do not see enough jobs in their preferred profession.
15% say they haven’t applied to any job opportunities in the last month because they haven’t found good opportunities worth pursuing.
34% haven’t secured any job interviews.
53% of people currently unemployed say their mental health is worse today than it was before the pandemic.
69% said they are actively and consistently searching for a job.
25% reported searching for a job “to some degree.”
57% used a free job search service, while one-third used a paid job search service to assist them.