Survey: Employees will jet when job market rebounds

Call it economic karma.

Expect a lot of ship-jumping by American workers when the recession ends and the job market rebounds, according to staffing giant Adecco Group’s latest Workplace Insights survey.

Many workers are staying put for now because they have to, not because they want to. So, companies that have taken advantage of workers or mistreated them will pay dearly when economic conditions improve. Among the survey findings:

• More than half (54 percent) of U.S. workers said they are likely to look for new jobs once the economy rebounds. (An Adecco alert: Be ready for a lot of suspiciously long lunch breaks and the occasional dentist appointment that requires a suit and tie.)

• Nearly three in four of the youngest workers — those between the ages of 18 and 29 — are likely to job hunt when the recession ends, taking with them a lot of new ideas and skills.

• More than half of workers who are willing to take a pay cut to keep their jobs said they could live with a 10 percent cut. But keep this in mind, pay cuts can affect a worker’s lifestyle and pocketbook and make a person want to look for a new job.

• Almost half (44 percent) of workers older than 60 have been forced to delay retirement.

• Despite hints of economic improvement, four in 10 workers believe the recession will last another year and potentially into the third quarter of 2011.

• Roughly one in five Americans say they’re saving money in case of a layoff.