CHICAGO, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Although many unemployed workers are eager to start earning a paycheck, some are holding out for better offers.  A new survey from Personified, CareerBuilder's talent consulting arm, shows that 17 percent of unemployed workers have received at least one job offer since they have become unemployed.  Of these workers, 92 percent rejected the offer.  Fifty-four percent reported the pay was more than 25 percent below the salary they earned in their most recent position.  The survey, which was conducted from August 4 to August 27, 2010, included 925 unemployed workers nationwide.

Comparing genders, the survey showed that unemployed women were less likely to receive a job offer.  Fourteen percent of unemployed women stated they had been offered at least one position during their unemployment compared to 20 percent of unemployed men.  

Unemployed men reported a higher incidence of offers falling short of salary expectations.  Fifty-six percent of men stated the pay offered was more than 25 percent below their previous salary compared to 49 percent of women.  

Job Offers Not Paying Off

Insufficient pay was the number one reason unemployed workers turned down a job opportunity.  Other factors cited include a long commute, a lower title, the position being outside of their field, little room for career advancement and a poor hiring process.

"Employers are adding jobs at a gradual, but steady pace and workers are feeling a greater sense of optimism in their job prospects," said Mary Delaney, President of Personified.  "Rather than jumping on the first job offer that comes their way, workers are assessing which opportunities really make the most sense for them in terms of compensation and long-term potential."  

Frequency of Job Search

While finding a job is a full-time job in itself, nearly one-in-five unemployed workers (18 percent) reported they spend five hours or less, on average, searching for a job each week.  Thirty percent allocate over 20 hours.  In terms of job applications, nearly two-thirds of unemployed workers (62 percent) apply to more than ten jobs per week on average.  

Comparing educational levels, workers with no college degree look more frequently and apply more often to jobs than those with a college diploma.  Those with a post-graduate degree are the most aggressive in their job search activity, reporting a higher frequency of looking for jobs and applying to a greater number of jobs than other groups.  

Earning level also influenced frequency of job search.  Workers who previously earned $100,000 or more reported allocating more time to job search than those in other earning brackets.

Expired Health Insurance

One of the biggest concerns unemployed workers face is the termination of health benefits.  Forty-nine percent of all unemployed workers reported that they do not have health insurance.  Among workers who have been unemployed for more than a year, the number is 55 percent.  

Impact of Extension of Unemployment Benefits

The majority of unemployed workers reported that their job search activity has stayed the same throughout their unemployment.  Half (52 percent) do not anticipate that an extension of unemployment benefits will change their job search strategy.  Three-in-ten (31 percent) said it would give them more time to find a job that was a better fit for their career goals while 15 percent stated an extension would actually create a greater sense of urgency for them to find a new position.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted online by Personified among 925 unemployed workers in the U.S. from August 4 to August 27, 2010.  With a probability sample of 925 workers, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3.2 percentage points.

About Personified

Personified, a division of CareerBuilder, is the leading business intelligence consulting firm focused on talent.  Personified specializes in job seeker and employee research, human capital consulting and talent sourcing and screening.  Its real-time access to job seekers, employees, and employers helps Personified deepen talent acquisition strategies and swiftly implement recruitment tactics so companies of all sizes realize the best return on their people.  Visit www.personified.com

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 23 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 32 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to recruitment support. More than 9,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder's proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com

SOURCE CareerBuilder