Employers Deeply Anxious About Range of Economic, Workforce Issues; Survey Will Show Concerns Over Jobs, Business Surmount Terror Worries

2/19/2002

From: Carl E. Van Horn of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers, 732-932-4100, ext. 714; e-mail: vanhorn@rci.rutgers.edu or Herb Schaffner of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers, 732-932-4100, ext. 585; e-mail: herberts@rci.rutgers.edu or Ken Dautrich of the Center for Survey Research and Analysis, UConn, 860-486-2579

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Feb. 19 -- As the nation endures an economic recession and adjusts to the aftershocks of the unprecedented terrorist attacks of September 11, the workplace has become an increasingly unpredictable place for the nation's workers and employers. This is the conclusion of a new national survey of American employers conducted by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development in partnership with the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut. The survey will be made available on embargo and will be released for media coverage at 12:01 Eastern Time, Wednesday, Feb. 20.

The survey and report, "Standing on Shaky Ground," finds that some American employers -- particularly larger employers -- are concerned about the effects of September 11 and threats such as anthrax, but that as a nation our employers are far more worried about the state of the economy and how the availability of skilled workers will affect their businesses. The findings suggest that policymakers should consider the concerns of employers about the economy, their lack of focus on the terror threat, and the need for working Americans to keep their skills razor-sharp.

This first "Work Trends" survey of American employers seeks their views on the rising unemployment rate, jobs, and the economy, and how employers are planning to cut costs and manage their business during the downturn. It also examines in detail how employers view the impact of September 11 and related events on their business activity, their security policies, and their perceptions about the economy. "Standing on Shaky Ground" also contains analysis of new and previous "Work Trends" data, as researchers seek to understand how both employers and workers are adjusting to a very different economy than that experienced in the explosive expansion of the 1990s.

"Standing on Shaky Ground" is the first survey in a new "Work Trends" series that seeks the views of American employers on the policies and practices that govern the workplace and workforce, on changing economic conditions, and government policies that affect the economy and the workplace. It is launched as the United States confronts a vastly different set of economic and political realities than existed before September 11, 2001. This new initiative will provide fresh field research about the views of employers regarding changing events and conditions that affect their own and the nation's workforce, and both "Work Trends" survey series will be integrated to allow parallel analysis of employer and worker views on key trends, questions, and controversies about the changing compact of the workplace. The survey data are based on 501 interviews with businesses conducted from Dec. 3 - Dec. 7, 2001.

To secure advance embargoed copies of the entire survey and report, or schedule interviews with the survey directors, contact Herb Schaffner at herberts@rci.rutgers.edu or 732-932-4100, ext. 585.