Express Employment Professionals: Survey Reveals Major Differences Between Unemployed in U.S. and Canada

Express Employment Professionals
Published: June 11th, 2014

Unemployed Canadians Get More Interviews, Turn Down More Jobs; Americans More Likely Than Canadians to Give Up Looking For Work According to a Harris Poll of the Unemployed

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - (Marketwired - June 11, 2014) - Express Employment Professionals, the nation's largest franchised staffing firm, today released a comparison of the results of the "State of the Unemployed" surveys taken in the U.S. and Canada.

The exhaustive surveys were fielded online by Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals from April 9 through April 21, 2014 among 1,500 unemployed adult Americans and 1,502 unemployed adult Canadians age 18 or older.

America's unemployed are more likely to give up, less likely to be on employment compensation and less likely to go back to school.

• In the U.S., 47 per cent of the unemployed agree that they have given up looking for work; 39 per cent in Canada report the same.
• In the U.S., 46 per cent report no job interviews in the previous month; 36 per cent say the same in Canada.
• In the U.S., 19 per cent have turned down a job offer; in Canada 24 per cent have done so.
• In the U.S., 13 per cent are currently enrolled or have taken classes, compared to 23 per cent in Canada.
• In the U.S., 20 per cent are receiving unemployment compensation, compared to 29 per cent in Canada.

America's unemployed are more likely to accept any job.

• In the U.S., 66 per cent say they are willing to accept almost any job that will help pay the bills; 34 per cent say they will only accept a job that they really want to do. In Canada, 61 per cent say they are willing to accept almost any job; 39 per cent say they will only accept one they really want to do.
• In the U.S., 36 per cent of the unemployed spent five or fewer hours a week looking for work, compared to 32 per cent in Canada.

Canadians are getting more interviews and turning down more offers.

• In the U.S., 73 per cent report two or fewer interviews in the prior month. Among those unemployed for more than two years, 71 per cent report no interviews in the prior month.
• In Canada, 66 per cent report two or fewer interviews in the prior month. Among those unemployed for more than two years, 61 per cent report no interviews the prior month.
• In the U.S., 26 per cent say they are receiving income from doing various odd jobs. 18 per cent of unemployed Canadians say the same.

Canadians are much more likely to say unemployment compensation means they don't have to look for work as hard.

• Among those receiving unemployment benefits, 48 per cent in the U.S. agree that they haven't had to look for work as hard knowing they have some income to rely on, while 56 per cent in Canada agree.
• Among those receiving unemployment benefits, 62 per cent in the U.S. and 74 per cent in Canada agree it has let them take time for themselves.
• Among those receiving unemployment benefits, 82 per cent in the U.S. say they would search harder and wider for a job if their unemployment compensation runs out before they find work; 87 per cent in Canada say the same.

"With offices in both the U.S. and Canada, Express knows that while the two countries share a border, they don't share the same job market-even in this era of globalization," said Bob Funk, CEO of Express, and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. "Indeed, the unemployment situation in the U.S. and Canada has some sharp differences. Overall, Canadians seem more resistant to giving up-but also choosier when deciding whether to take a job. The job market right now is stronger in Canada than in the United States."

Survey Methodology

This study was conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals and included 1,500 U.S. adults and 1,502 Canadian adults aged 18 or older who are unemployed but capable of working (whether or not they receive unemployment compensation benefits) who participated in an online survey between April 9 and April 21, 2014. The survey fielded in Canada during the same dates has 1,502 respondents. Results were weighted as needed for age by gender, education, race/ethnicity, region and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. 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. "Bob" Funk

Robert A. "Bob" Funk is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has nearly 700 franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Under his leadership, Express has put more than five million people to work worldwide. Funk served as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and was also the Chairman of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve.

About Express Employment Professionals and Express in Canada

Express Employment Professionals puts people to work. It generated more than $2.5 billion in sales and employed nearly 400,000 people in 2013. Express ranks as the largest franchised staffing company and the second largest privately held staffing company in North America. Its long-term goal is to put a million people to work annually.

Express launched in Canada in July, 1996, with a franchise in London, Ontario, and since then, has expanded and grown in Canada significantly. There are currently 36 Express franchises in Canada - seven in British Columbia, six in Alberta, and 23 Ontario.

Contacts:

Rita Mezzanotte
416.271.0667
rita@mapleleafstrategies.com

Sherry Kast
405.717.5966
sherry.kast@expresspros.com