One of Eight

<body topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr> <td valign="top" colspan="2" height="90" bgcolor="#006699" text="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="https://www.telcoa.org/files/064285a1erlcgo.png"> <div> <font size="5" color="#FFCC66" face="Arial"><b>The Telework Coalition</b></font><b>    </b></div> <div> <b>Enabling Virtual, Mobile, and Distributed Work through Education, Technology, and Legislation</b></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width="210" bgcolor="#FFCC66" text="#080000" background="https://www.telcoa.org/files/063d2c00dkelyh.png"> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="The Telework Coalition"><u>Home</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Membership Sponsorship Opportunities"><u>Membership & Sponsorship Opportunities</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id208/" target="_top" title="Our Sponsors"><u>Our Sponsors</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="TelCoa in the News"><u>"TelCoa in the News"</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id17/" target="_top" title="Calendar"><u>Calendar</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="TelCoa / ACP Event"><u>TelCoa / ACP Event</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id19/" target="_top" title="Contact Us"><u>Contact Us</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id259/" target="_top" title="Strategic Alliances"><u>Strategic Alliances</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Business Continuity Planning (COOP)"><u>Business Continuity Planning (COOP)</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Avian Flu and Pandemic Information and A"><u>Avian Flu and Pandemic Information and Articles</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id156/" target="_top" title="Virtual Call Center Sponsors"><u>Virtual Call Center Sponsors</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id157/" target="_top" title="Virtual Call Centers"><u>Virtual Call Centers </u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id20/" target="_top" title="Board of Directors and Advisory Board"><u>Board of Directors and Advisory Board</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id158/" target="_top" title="The Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act"><u>The Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act </u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id223/" target="_top" title="TelCoa Awards"><u>TelCoa Awards</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id18/" target="_top" title="Our Vision and Mission"><u>Our Vision and Mission</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Telework in the News"><u>Telework in the News</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Federal, State, Regional News, Legislat"><u>Federal, State, & Regional News, Legislation, and Programs</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id263/" target="_top" title="Telework Tools"><u>Telework Tools </u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Telework Facts"><u>Telework Facts </u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="You Should Know"><u>You Should Know</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Broadband"><u>Broadband</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Environmental Information and Fact Sheet"><u>Environmental Information and Fact Sheet</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Health, Safety Telework"><u>Health, Safety & Telework</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id105/" target="_top" title="Telework Jobs and Opportunities"><u>Telework Jobs and Opportunities</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Other Jobs"><u>Other Jobs</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Contributing Partners"><u>Contributing Partners</u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org" target="_top" title="Related Links"><u>Related Links </u></a></div> <div> <a href="https://www.telcoa.org/id25/" target="_top" title="Reference"><u>Reference</u></a></div> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <div>  </div> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> </td> <td valign="top" height="390" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#080000"> <div> <i>One of Eight</i></div> <div>  </div> <div> <u>For Release At 10:00 A.M. EST March 22, 2004</u></div> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <div> <u>Execs, Managers Prolonging Own Joblessness</u></div> <div> ONLY ONE OUT OF EIGHT WILLING TO MOVE;</div> <div> 2003 AVERAGE LOWEST IN 17 YEARS</div> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <div> <b>NEW YORK</b> — In a quarterly survey released Monday, only one out of eight seeking top corporate positions — 12.7 percent — were willing to pull up stakes and move for a new job. The survey was conducted among 3,000 managers and executives by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., the global outplacement firm.</div> <div> For a majority of executives and managers in the same survey, prolonged joblessness is the result of reluctance to relocate and a shortage of openings. Reluctance to move may still be driven by the impact of 9-11.</div> <div> "It began right after 9-11 — a strong desire to stay near family and friends, even if it meant prolonging joblessness. It could not have happened at a worse time, with hiring already slowing and the number of dual-income households shrinking," said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of the firm.</div> <div> While many jobless have dug their heels in, a new analysis of government data finds pockets throughout the country that are enjoying unemployment rates far below the national rate of 5.6.</div> <div> Researchers at Challenger found 80 metropolitan areas with unemployment rates <i>below</i> 4.5 percent in January. More than one-third (35 percent) of those had unemployment rates of 3.5 or below. </div> <div> The five metropolitan areas with the lowest unemployment had rates ranging from 2.8 percent down to 2.2 percent.</div> <div> "For the areas surrounding such cities as Columbia, Missouri; Madison, Wisconsin; and Roanoke, Virginia, it is as if the recession never occurred," said Challenger.</div> <div> Yet, even as so many areas enjoy nearly full employment, many job seekers appear reluctant to relocate despite the fact that it probably means lengthening the job search.</div> <div> According to the latest Challenger Job Market Index, a quarterly survey of 3,000 discharged managers and executives, only 12.7 percent chose to move for a new job in the fourth quarter of 2003. That is down from 15.2 percent in the fourth quarter a year earlier. </div> <div> <b>The annual average for relocation dropped to 13.9 percent in 2003, its lowest level since tracking began in 1986.</b> As recently as 2000, nearly one in four (23 percent) of jobless managers and executives were reemployed in new cities or states. During the jobs expansion following the 1990-1991 recession, the relocation rate reached 49 percent in the second quarter of 1993.</div> <div> "Perhaps it is the long-term effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the American psyche, but people seem to be more fearful of the unknown and less likely to take risks. Job seekers in particular are simply less willing to leave their comfort zones, preferring to remain close to their family and friends," Challenger observed.</div> <div> "The problem with this aversion to change and risk among the jobless is that it can significantly prolong the job search. It is now taking managers and executives a month longer to find a job than it did two years ago," said Challenger, referring to the 41 percent increase in the average job search time from 2.7 months in 2001 to 3.8 months in 2003.</div> <div> While job seekers insist on staying in areas where the job market remains extremely competitive, it is likely that many vacancies in low-unemployment areas are going unfilled because the pool of available local workers is so small.</div> <div> This is probably the case in Columbia, Missouri, which holds the honor for having the lowest unemployment rate (2.2 percent) among the 331 metropolitan areas tracked and ranked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.</div> <div> Like many of the areas enjoying low unemployment, it has a relatively small population and is home to a major university. But this does not mean that there are no good job opportunities.</div> <div> Columbia, Missouri, counts the University of Missouri as its biggest employer, but it also has a diverse economy with some other very large employers. Shelter Insurance Company employs more than 1,000. MBS Textbook Exchange employs over 900 people. 3M produces optical and electronic products there, employing nearly 750 workers.</div> <div> In Bryan-College Station, near Houston, which claims the second lowest unemployment rate at 2.3 percent, the presence of Texas A&M University is a boon to the local economy, according to Roland Mower, president of the Research Valley Partnership, a private, non-profit economic development agency. </div> <div> Not only does the university employ 12,000 people, but because of the free-thinking nature found in many college towns, there tends to be higher than average entrepreneurial activity. This has led to a diverse and vibrant economy that has easily supported the area’s three percent annual population growth rate.</div> <div> Most major industries are represented in Bryan-College Station, including manufacturing, health care, technology, telecommunications, services and utilities. Salaries are slightly lower than the national average, but the Research Valley Partnership says this is very attractive to new businesses and Roland Mower contends that workers, while paid less, are still able to thrive due to the low cost of living.</div> <div> Madison, Wisconsin, another college town with low unemployment — 3.0 percent in January — has 13 private sector companies with more than 1,000 employees, including American Family Insurance, 3,600; Oscar Mayer Foods, 2,500; Telephone and Data Systems Inc. (TDS), 2,855; Alliant Energy Corporation, 1,100; and Land’s End, 1,022.</div> <div> The median household income in Dane Country, where Madison is located, was $49,223, according to the 2000 United States Census. Nearly 50 percent of households earn more than $50,000 per year.</div> <div> "The fact that many of the smaller cities with low unemployment have nearby universities should be a major selling point among job seekers. This would give many workers the opportunity to update their skills. They may even be able to find an employer willing to share the cost of continued education.</div> <div> "Whether you are in the field of computer technology, marketing, health care or accounting, staying up to date on the latest developments will be increasingly important in an expanding global economy where lower skilled jobs will be shipped overseas where they can be done cheaper. The jobs that remain here will be more advanced and require highly skilled workers," said Challenger.</div> <div> According to Challenger, the Internet has made out-of-town job searching easier than ever. </div> <div> "Job seekers still need to plan visits to their target towns in order to meet with employers face to face, but a lot of the groundwork, including researching companies, can be accomplished using the Internet.," said Challenger.</div> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <div align="LEFT"></div> <div> # # #</div> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <div> March 22, 2004</div> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <div> METROPOLITAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATES</div> <div> BELOW 3.2 PERCENT</div> <div> January, 2004</div> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> <div> <b><u>Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)</u></b><b> </b><b><u>Rate</u></b></div> <div> Columbia, MO 2.2 </div> <div> Bryan College Station, TX 2.3</div> <div> Gainesville, FL 2.3</div> <div> Athens, GA 2.7</div> <div> Fort Walton Beach, FL 2.8</div> <div> Charlottesville, VA 3.0</div> <div> Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR 3.0</div> <div> Madison, WI 3.0</div> <div> Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN 3.1</div> <div> Sioux Falls, SD 3.1</div> <div> Tallahassee, FL 3.1</div> <div> <b>Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.</b><font size="3" color="#000000" face="Times"><b>©</b></font><b>, with data</b></div> <div> provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics</div> <br class="2aemw2t7dg3inqf6r"> </td> </tr></table></body>