Survey Finds Unemployed Workers are Eager to Return to Work; 93% of Workers Are Not Making More on Unemployment

Jobcase finds that 59% of the unemployed are looking for work but 28% can’t find opportunities in their area

A new survey from Jobcase, a social platform dedicated to empowering and advocating for workers, reveals that 93% of unemployed workers are currently not making more money with the COVID-19 relief package than they were prior to the pandemic — debunking rhetoric that unemployment benefits are disincentivizing workers from re-entering the workforce. The new survey found that a majority of unemployed workers are eager to get back to work — 59% are currently looking to return to full-time work and 26% have been looking for work for over one year — but the biggest obstacle to finding work right now is perceived job availability in their area (28%) and COVID-19 remains a big concern.

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“We reject the narrative that extraordinary unemployment benefits are keeping people on the sidelines and this research backs it up,” said Fred Goff, co-founder and CEO of Jobcase. “Yes, the current labor markets are very tight, but this presents a huge opportunity for employers who walk the walk on stakeholder capitalism.”

According to Fred Goff, job seekers are eager to join employers who demonstrate commitment to their workers by providing living wages, upskilling opportunities and career growth potential. “Employers can not only attract great talent today, but they can hire for long term retention as well — they simply need to step up and value workers as much as they do shareholders. It’s that easy,” added Goff.

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Jobcase’s research highlights the current state of unemployed workers and what they need from employers in order to get back to work. Key findings include:

Money On My Mind + Obstacles Ahead

• Unemployed workers rank pay as their top consideration in selecting a job (41%), followed by:
  • Type of work – 23%
  • Schedule – 17%
  • COVID-19 safety – 10%
  • Growth opportunities – 3%
  • Benefits/healthcare – 3%
• When it comes to the type of work that people are looking for 35% are searching for the same type of work they had prior to the pandemic; 29% are looking for something new and 25% say they’ll take whatever they can get. Eleven percent said they will take whatever job pays the highest.
• Despite the interest in getting back to work, the number one reason workers can’t find work is because of a lack of jobs available near them (28%).
  • Other obstacles include the need for better connections to get in the door (21%), the need for new or updated skills (18%), and finding something that pays what they need (15%).
  • 1 in 4 respondents said they would consider returning to work if they found a work from home opportunity.

COVID Confusion Lingers

• Over half (56%) of the unemployed workers surveyed said that COVID-19 has impacted their perspective on working.
• While they want to get back to work, workers are still somewhat hesitant and are split when it comes to comfortability.
  • 39% say they are comfortable returning to work while 34% report they are not comfortable.
  • The biggest hesitation is health/COVID-19 concerns (31%), followed by pay rates being too low (13%), caring for other family members (10%) and childcare/homeschooling (5%).
• When it comes to the vaccine, respondents are equally split as well:
  • 26% say they will definitely get the vaccine
  • 21% say they will probably get the vaccine
  • 26% say they will probably not get the vaccine
  • And 27% say they will definitely not get the vaccine

Of those who plan to get the vaccine, the majority (73%) plan to get it in the next 3 months.

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