One in eight expect to never work again Thirty percent of Americans who lost their jobs during the pandemic to not expect to return to work any time this year, and 13 percent say they never expect to return to work. That’s according to poll results released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on June 4. The […]
One in eight expect to never work again
Thirty percent of Americans who lost their jobs during the pandemic to not expect to return to work any time this year, and 13 percent say they never expect to return to work.
That’s according to poll results released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on June 4.
The poll also found that 16 percent of those who lost jobs during the pandemic believe it’s “not worth” searching for a job because of the money they currently earn from unemployment benefits and are not actively seeking work.
Some other poll findings include:
• Almost half (49 percent) of respondents report they are “not active” at all or “not very active” in searching for a job. Less than one-third (32 percent) say they are “strongly active” in their job search.
• Six in 10 respondents (61 percent) say they are in no hurry to return to work.
• One in eight (13 percent) have turned down at least one job offer in the past year.
• Over one-quarter (28 percent) of respondents agree that “there are a lot of people who are not looking for work because they can do almost or just as well collecting unemployment benefits.”
• Some additional common factors cited for not seeking employment include childcare and other family-care needs (24 percent), lack of available jobs in sectors that are still suffering (28 percent), and COVID-19 concerns (26 percent).
• Almost one in four survey respondents (23 percent) say they lack the skills or experience necessary for most of the jobs available right now.
The poll was conducted among 506 Americans who lost jobs during the pandemic and have not returned to full-time employment. Data was collected May 17-20, 2021. The poll has an overall survey margin of error +/-4.4 points at the 95 percent confidence level. A full report of the poll results can be accessed at https://www.uschamber.com/report/poll-the-covid-19-unemployed.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, founded in 1912, that describes itself as “the world’s largest business organization representing companies of all sizes across every sector of the economy.”
