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Unemployed Americans find jobs in new industries

Posted on August 4th, 2011 Read time: 1 minutes

Since the onset of the recession, millions of Americans have found themselves out of work and forced to adopt a more flexible mindset when it comes to searching for a job.

As a result, a large percentage of the unemployed have switched careers in order to be hired as permanent or contract workers. In fact, a recent survey from CareerBuilder found 54 percent of Americans who were laid off last year secured new jobs in industries different from those in which they were previously employed.

Yet, many respondents indicated they had a number of anxieties in regards to re-entering the workplace, with 40 percent citing a general fear of the unknown and 21 percent pointing to new technologies.

"We need to do a better job as a nation to help workers identify jobs that are in-demand today and are projected to grow in the future," said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. "We have a growing skills gap and the need to get millions of Americans back to work."

A company's human resources administration will prove vital in helping new hires acclimate quickly. However, HR should make sure to tailor programs to their audience, which may include both millennials and Baby Boomers. 

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