Survey: Employee layoff fears hit new low

While the US government shutdown is a causing problems for many federal employees nationwide, a new survey finds many workers are not agonizing about the possibility of a layoff as they have over the past five years. Glassdoor’s Q3 2013 Employment Confidence Survey of more than 2,000 adults found only 15 percent of employees were worried about getting laid off in the next six months. The report also revealed interesting findings about employee perks, raise expectations, job outlook, and company hiring behaviors. Click through for more highlights from Glassdoor’s Employment Confidence Survey.

Layoff concerns

Glassdoor’s survey found 15 percent of workers feared being laid off in the next six months, a 7 percentage point drop since the previous quarter and a a new low since Q408. The results are based on the responses from 891 full and/or part-time employees.The survey also found that male workers (18 percent) are more concerned than female workers (11 percent) of being laid off. Apparently, age also makes a difference. Male workers ages 34 to 44 years old (24 percent) are three times as concerned compared to women in the same age range (8 percent).

Coworker job security

Glassdoor’s Survey also found employees not only had higher confidence in their own jobs, but in their coworkers’ jobs as well. The suvey found 24 percent were concerned about their colleagues being laid off in the next six months, another low since Q408 and a 6 point drop since the previous quarter.

Large-scale hiring

The survey asked employees if their company had made any large-scale changes to personnel, organizational structure, benefits, or other activities in the past six months, with 34 percent reporting that their company had made such a change. This reflects a 10 percent decrease from the previous quarter.However, of the employees who reported a positive change at their company, 18 percent reported that their company initiated large-scale hiring, a 15 percent drop since the last quarter, and a low since Q211.

Perks

Glassdoor’s report also found companies were becoming more generous with workplace beneifts including the option to work from home, casual dress code, flexible work hours, and/or new stock. Three in four (76 percent) reported getting new perks from their company, up 29 percent since last quarter and the highest change since Q211.

Salary Expectations

Glassdor’s survey found employees have lowered salary expectations. According to the report, 41 percent of workers said they do not expect a pay raise or a cost-of-living increase in the next year, while 37 percent said they do expect a pay raise.Meanwhile, 44 percent of employees with a total household income of $75,000 or greater expect to receive a pay raise or a cost-of-living increase in the next year.

Rehire optimism

Those unemployed and searching for a job are slightly less optimistic this quarter. Of those surveyed, 38 percent believe they can find a job matched to their background and compensation in the next six months, down one percentage point from last quarter.The report also found job market optimism unchanged, with 43 percent of full and part time employees confident that they could find a job matched to their experience and current level of compensation in six months. Glassdoor’s report also found a greater level of optimism in the South, where 49 percent of employees believe they find a new job match to the compensation and experience in six months. This is significantly higher than the 37 percent reported in the Northeast.