August 30, 2002
Survey: NYC Job Seekers Unfazed by 9-11
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Most job seekers looking for employment in the New York metropolitan area say the events of September 11, 2001, have not affected their willingness to work here, according to a just-released New York Times Job Market survey.
Further, most hiring managers say that the events of September 11 have had little effect on their ability to recruit talent in the New York area (77 percent) and say their companies are back to "business as usual" (79 percent).
Beta Research Corporation, on behalf of The New York Times Job Market, interviewed more than 450 hiring managers and job seekers in the New York metropolitan region to identify current trends in talent recruitment in the New York area.
Job seekers were asked: "Do you feel the events of September 11 affected your willingness to work in the New York area?" Sixty-three percent replied, "No," while only 37 percent said, "Yes."
Most hiring managers (81 percent) said their companies have not changed their
overall policies or procedures as a result of September 11.
When it comes to workplace safety, however, most hiring managers (63 percent) say their companies have instituted new security precautions as a result of September 11. These measures include:
- increased use of employee identification (32 percent.)
- increased use of security equipment, e.g. alarms, metal detectors, x-ray equipment, locks (21 percent.)
- employees asked to be more aware of their surroundings (18 percent.)
- more security guards (15 percent.)
While safety on the job is a concern, other aspects of corporate life go on as they did before. A majority of hiring managers (77 percent) said the events of September 11 have not affected their company's recruiting efforts. Those who say their recruiting initiatives have been affected (23 percent) reported the following changes:
Recruiting has slowed/stopped/Hiring freeze. (42 percent)
Business is down. (18 percent)
There are more candidates. (17 percent)
There is greater screening of applicants. (8 percent)
Candidates want jobs outside NYC.(4 percent)
Background checks are more thorough. (3 percent)
Workplace diversity remains strong as hiring managers report that the events of September 11 have not affected their organizations' recruitment for candidates from diverse backgrounds in the New York area (92 percent). And, most job seekers think that workplace diversity in the New York area will be about the same one year from now (62 percent).