While consumers will be shopping for bargains this holiday season, Retail workers will be shopping for new jobs. Twenty-one percent of Retail workers say they plan to change jobs in the fourth quarter, 34 percent within six months. This is opportune timing considering that 49 percent of retail hiring managers say they will be adding new workers by year end. This is according to CareerBuilder.com's latest survey, "The Pulse: Retail 2004," which included 230 retail workers. It was conducted from August 5, 2004 to August 24, 2004.

"In an industry prone to high turnover rates, it's critical for retailers to hold on to those employees who successfully deliver in terms of sales volume and customer service," said Diane Christopher, Retail Employment Expert at CareerBuilder.com. "With one third of Retail workers planning to change jobs in six months, retailers need to address problem areas such as pay and opportunities for career advancement in order to attract and retain top producers."

Twenty percent of Retail workers are searching for a new job on a weekly basis and are inspired to do so for a variety of reasons. The desire for a bigger paycheck, a job outside of retail and more options for moving forward in their careers were the top three reasons cited.

One-half of Retail workers are dissatisfied with pay and are still waiting to receive a raise this year. Forty percent are unhappy with career advancement opportunities at their present job and 35 percent of retail workers are dissatisfied with their career progress to date.

On top of that, 62 percent report that their workloads have increased in the last six months and 44 percent characterize their workloads as too heavy. Thirty-three percent are not able to maintain a balance between work and life due to fluctuating work schedules and weekend work hours.

Their preferred job search resources are online job boards, classified newspaper ads and networking through family and friends.

About the Survey

The new CareerBuilder.com survey, "Labor Day 2004," was conducted from August 5 to August 24, 2004 of more than 230 retail workers. To collect data for the survey, CareerBuilder.com commissioned SurveySite to use an e-mail methodology whereby individuals who are members of SurveySite Web Panel were randomly selected and approached by e-mail invitation to participate in the online survey. The results of this survey are accurate within +/-6.33 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com

CareerBuilder.com is a leading online source for maximizing recruitment dollars and optimizing job searches with superior products, customer service and technology. With a unique combination of national, local and niche audiences, CareerBuilder.com makes it easy for recruiters to reach the most qualified candidates with industry-leading market research data and support. Job seekers can search for the right job from more than 500,000 continuously updated postings, representing more than 30,000 of the top employers in virtually every industry, field and location. Together with Gannett Co., Inc. , Tribune Company , and Knight Ridder, Inc. , CareerBuilder.com includes the Web's top newspaper sites -- the most trusted employment sources in recruiting. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, call 888-670-TEAM or visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/.

   Media Contact:

   CareerBuilder.com
   Jennifer Sullivan
   (773) 527-1164
   jennifer.sullivan@careerbuilder.com.

SOURCE: CareerBuilder.com