Poll Shows 41% of Unemployed in New York Are Giving Up on Finding Work, Up From 2016. 49% Blame Themselves for Their Unemployment. Half Have Not Had an Interview in the Past Month; 45% Report Being Unemployed for More Than Two Years
OKLAHOMA CITY, August 9, 2017 – Express Employment Professionals released results from a poll of unemployed adults in New York State showing long-term unemployment remains a problem and that many have given up on finding work.
The survey of 101 unemployed adults in New York State was conducted online by Harris Poll, on behalf of Express and offers a detailed, in-depth look at the background and attitudes of the unemployed. It was conducted in conjunction with a national poll of 1,500 jobless Americans.
According to the survey, 41 percent agree with the statement, “I’ve completely given up on looking for a job,” compared to 33 percent nationally. In 2016, 34 percent in New York said they had “given up,” down from 43 percent in 2015.
Still, most of the unemployed in New York expressed some hopefulness. Ninety-two (92) percent agree with the statement, “I’m hopeful that I will find a job I really want in the next six months.”
Unemployment remains a chronic condition for many, with the average duration of unemployment coming in at 29.1 months, compared to 23.5 months nationally. Seventeen (17) percent of the unemployed in New York have been out of work for three months or less, 22 percent for four to six months, 8 percent for 7-12 months, 7 percent for 13-24 months and 45 percent for more than two years.
When asked why they are unemployed, 17 percent say they quit and 27 percent say they were laid off. Nationally, 22 percent say they quit, and 22 percent say they were laid off. In 2016, 22 percent in New York said they quit, and 16 percent said they were laid off. In 2015, 15 percent said they quit, and 21 percent said they were laid off.
When asked who’s “responsible” for their unemployment, 49 percent blame themselves and 38 percent blame the economy. In 2016, 41 percent blamed themselves, and 44 percent blamed themselves in 2015.
“The unemployed in New York are expressing more frustration with finding work, compared to last year and compared to the national average,” said Bob Funk, CEO of Express Employment Professionals and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. “Chronic employment clearly remains a problem for many, even if the overall unemployment situation has slowly improved over the years.”
WHO ARE THE UNEMPLOYED?
According to the survey, 50 percent of the unemployed in New York are men; 50 percent are women.
The largest age group is 18-29 years old:
43 percent are ages 18-29
26 percent are ages 30-39
10 percent are ages 40-49
11 percent are ages 50-59
10 percent are 60 or older
The majority lacks a college degree:
12 percent did not complete high school
45 percent received only a high school diploma
1 percent completed job-specific training after high school
13 percent attended college but did not receive a degree
6 percent hold an associate’s degree
17 percent hold a bachelor’s degree
3 percent attended graduate school but did not receive an advanced degree
4 percent have a graduate degree
Those with a college degree reported receiving their diplomas in the following areas:
46 percent in liberal arts
19 percent in business
6 percent in science
6 percent in fine arts
4 percent in education
19 percent in another area
WHO’S GIVING UP, WHO’S HOPEFUL
Forty-one (41) percent of the unemployed in New York agree with the statement, “I’ve completely given up on looking for a job,” compared to 34 percent in 2016 and 43 percent in 2015. Thirty-three (33) percent of unemployed Americans nationally agree with this statement.
13 percent of New York respondents agree completely
2 percent agree a lot
13 percent agree somewhat
13 percent agree a little
59 percent do not agree at all
Still, 92 percent of respondents in New York agree with the statement, “I’m hopeful that I will find a job I really want in the next six months.”
46 percent agree completely
23 percent agree a lot
17 percent agree somewhat
6 percent agree a little
8 percent do not agree at all
WHAT THE UNEMPLOYED ARE—AND ARE NOT—DOING TO FIND WORK
In New York, the unemployed reported they are putting in an average of 10 hours looking for work each week. Nationally, the number rises to 13.3 hours per week.
Sixty-five (65) percent have applied for positions that are below their job level at their previous employer, but 35 percent have not.
Half had no interviews in the previous month at the time of interviewing:
50 percent had been on zero interviews in the previous month
21 percent had been on one
10 percent had been on two
10 percent had been on three
None had been on four
1 percent had been on five
7 percent had been on six to nine
1 percent had been on 10 to 14
Among the job search activities the unemployed in New York could choose from, the most common job search activities were online:
60 percent reported visiting and researching online job boards
53 percent posted resumes on major online job boards
47 percent entered search terms directly into an internet search engine
40 percent used resources at the state employment office
38 percent worked with an employment agency
38 percent visited or researched websites that provide resume tips
A national study was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals and included 1,500 U.S. adults aged 18 or older who are unemployed but capable of working (whether or not they receive unemployment compensation benefits). Excluded are those who are currently retired, choose to stay at home, or are unable to work due to long-term disability. The survey was conducted between March 14 and April 6, 2017. The oversample of unemployed New York adults included 101 respondents. The data was fully balanced and weighted by gender for age, education, race/ethnicity and household income to accurately reflect that of the population of the state of New York using census bureau data. In addition, propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' penchant to be online. State level data was collected as an add-on to the national data.
Results were weighted as needed by gender for age, education, race/ethnicity, region and household income. Totals may not equal the sum of their individual components due to rounding. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.
***
About Robert A. Funk
Robert A. “Bob” Funk is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has more than 780 franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Under his leadership, Express has put more than 6 million people to work worldwide. Funk served as Chairman of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve and was also the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
About Express Employment Professionals
Express Employment Professionals puts people to work. It generated $3.05 billion in sales and employed a record 510,000 people in 2016. Its long-term goal is to put a million people to work annually. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com.
