Job Seekers Speak Out: Opinions on Nine Hot-Button Employment Issues
Job Seekers Speak Out: Opinions on Nine Hot-Button Employment Issues
As the November presidential election approaches, the electorate is largely focused on economic issues, such as inflation, the budget deficit, and immigration. Former President Bill Clinton famously quipped, "It's about the economy, stupid," underscoring the central role economic issues play in American politics. But what do U.S. job seekers and workers really feel about the hot-button economic issues of the day?
The ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Survey reveals that job seekers are far from a monolithic group, with diverse opinions on key employment issues and policy prescriptions. While there is significant enthusiasm for remote work and a four-day work week, opinions on artificial intelligence, the gig economy, and immigration show a more divided landscape.
Notably, job seekers’ views don’t perfectly align with the platforms of either leading political party. On many issues, there is no partisan divide. Raising the minimum wage, mandating paid family leave, and providing universal basic income garner broad support, but immigration and artificial intelligence (AI) provoke unease regarding job displacement and wage pressures. The survey results suggest that voters may be more inclined to support restrictions on immigration and AI adoption than on the gig economy, which a majority regards favorably.
This report shows how the issues fare overall among U.S. job seekers and workers, and then breaks down their support by gender, age group, race, and educational attainment. The findings offer a nuanced picture of job seeker attitudes, which could have important implications for policymakers and employers alike.
Remote Work
U.S. job seekers are enthusiastic about remote work, with the vast majority believing it increases productivity. 74.5% of respondents say remote work boosts productivity due to reduced commute times, fewer office distractions, and better digital communication. Only 25.5% think it leads to decreased productivity and innovation.
Women are generally more enthusiastic about remote work than men are. Within each group, there is a partisan divide, with Trump-supporting women and Biden-supporting men being most bullish on remote work. The split is consistent with Republicans having more traditional views of gender roles, with more men wanting to be in the workplace and more women wanting to be in the home.
Recent data shows that rates of remote work have stabilized and the return to office has stalled. The one exception is the public sector, where ZipRecruiter data shows that remote work opportunities are declining.
The Four-Day Work Week
A strong majority of job seekers back moving to a four-day workweek, believing that it would be a free lunch. 68.7% believe that it would improve productivity and employee well-being at no extra cost to employers, while 31.3% argue that it would be impractical and costly for businesses.
Women on the political left and right are equally likely to favor a four-day workweek, but there is a partisan split among men, with men on the left being significantly more enthusiastic than those on the right. Mid-career workers are also more enthusiastic about the idea than younger or older workers.
Paid Family Leave
The majority of job seekers support proposals to require employers to provide 12 weeks of paid family leave, seeing it as a benefit for employee well-being and productivity. 66.4% think that paid family leave would reduce employee stress and turnover, benefiting overall productivity, whereas 33.6% fear it would impose financial burdens on employers, especially small businesses.
There is no partisan split among women, who are equally enthusiastic about the proposal, but there is a divide between Trump-supporting men (61.5% of whom support it) and Biden-supporting men (68.2%).
Initially, a proposal to guarantee 12 weeks of paid parental, family, and personal illness leave, including up to $4,000 per month in wage replacement, was part of the Biden Administration’s American Families Plan, a component of the “Build Back Better” economic framework. However, it ultimately did not make it into the final legislation that was passed, despite its broad popularity. There are bipartisan proposals on the table, however, such as that from the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution, and several policymakers are committed to advancing federal proposals in future and supporting state-level family leave programs in the meantime.
Minimum Wage Hikes
Raising the minimum wage gets a thumbs-up from nearly two-thirds of job seekers, who see it as a way to reduce poverty and boost household income. 63.8% believe a higher minimum wage would ultimately benefit businesses and workers through increased consumer spending, whereas 36.2% are concerned that it would harm small businesses and lead to job losses.
Women are generally more supportive of minimum wage increases than men are. Among men, Biden supporters are more likely to want higher minimum wages, while the reverse is true among women.
Universal Basic Income (UBI)
Almost two-thirds of job seekers are optimistic about UBI, seeing it as a catalyst for increased investments in skills training and entrepreneurship. 63.3% believe UBI would increase work by providing financial stability, and encouraging more job searching and better skill matching. In contrast, 36.7% worry it would reduce the motivation to work.
Unsurprisingly, Biden supporters are more enthusiastic about the social welfare proposal than Trump supporters are, both among women and men. Women are generally more favorable towards the idea than men are, and support is higher among Black job seekers than among White or Hispanic job seekers.
Gig Economy
Job seekers have mixed feelings about the gig economy's impact on workers. 58.0% believe it offers better income opportunities and flexibility, particularly for those who can't access traditional employment, whereas 42.0% think it leaves workers worse off and vulnerable, with low wages and no benefits.
There is neither a partisan split on the issue, nor much of a gender divide. Perhaps surprisingly, older workers hold more favorable views of the gig economy than younger workers do. That may be because large shares of older workers report facing age discrimination in the traditional workforce.
Immigration
Views on immigration's impact on jobs are closely split. 53.4% feel immigration drives job competition, reducing wages and opportunities for native-born Americans, especially in low-skilled markets. On the other hand, 46.7% believe immigration boosts economic growth by creating new businesses and filling labor shortages.
White job seekers are generally less inclined to hold favorable views of immigration than Hispanic job seekers are. Overall, there is no significant partisan divide on the issue. Younger job seekers are generally more inclined to support immigration than older age groups. College-educated job seekers are also more supportive than non-college-educated job seekers.
Skills Gap Theory
There's a split on whether the U.S. economy suffers from a skills gap or a wage gap. 55.7% argue that many employers set wages too low to attract skilled workers, but if companies offered higher pay, they would find that there are plenty of qualified candidates available. Meanwhile, 44.3% maintain that a serious skills gap exists, with companies struggling to find qualified candidates despite wage increases. Women and college graduates are less sympathetic to employer complaints about skills shortages than men and non-graduates.
Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Opinions are divided on automation and AI, but the majority of job seekers fear massive job losses. 64.5% believe that automation and AI will lead to significant net job losses, while 35.5% expect that these technologies will create more jobs than they destroy.
Women are more likely than men to expect job losses, but Trump supporters and Biden supporters have similar views on the issue. Job seekers without college degrees are more likely than those with college degrees or more education to expect technological job losses.
Methodology
The ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Survey is a quarterly, nationally representative online survey conducted by Qualtrics for ZipRecruiter. Over 1,500 U.S. job seekers participate each quarter. The sample, weighted to match U.S. Census Bureau demographics, includes those employed, unemployed, or out of the labor force but planning to find a job within six months. To minimize bias, respondents were asked to state their opinion on randomized pairs of statements regarding various employment issues. The findings provide a snapshot of job seeker attitudes on key employment topics, offering insights for policymakers, campaign strategists, employers, and other stakeholders.
