Jobs are beginning to come back—at least in some sectors. But with the cost of gas at an average of about $4 a gallon, some job seekers are reconsidering whether they can afford to take positions that are a not-so-short drive away.
Many job candidates who receive offers are already facing salaries that are lower than several years ago, an unfortunate effect of the recession. Factor in a high-cost commute, and a new position may not be worth the drive.
"We are anecdotally seeing people say, 'I would like to take the job, but given the length of the commute, it's not enough money to cover the incremental cost of commuting,'" says Tig Gilliam, CEO of Adecco Group North America, a global recruitment firm. "[They] either need more money or need to continue to look for a job closer to home."
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The economy added 244,000 jobs in April, the Labor Department reported Friday, bringing in a third straight month of job gains above 200,000. But the unemployment rate still hovers around 9 percent, with 13.7 million people out of work.
So where are the jobs? In retail, healthcare, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services, the report shows. Those gains are all in the private sector, while government jobs continue on a downward trend.
KC Dochtermann, 46, who's looking for a marketing job in Seattle, narrowed his job search geographically because commuting has become so expensive. "Before, I would actually conceive of looking at a job outside 50 to 60 miles [away]," he says. "But the price of fuel the way it is now, and the limited alternative resources, I am limiting my search." KC, who worked in marketing for Alaska Seafood before becoming self-employed, is now focusing on a 20-mile radius around the greater Seattle area.
High gas prices are also affecting where the self-employed will travel for work. April Carson, who also lives in Seattle, where she works as a caretaker and house-cleaner, says she's considering giving up one of her clients partly because the 25-minute commute costs too much. Alternatively, she may try imposing a $5-per-trip "fuel tax," which would go toward the $50 she pays to fill up her tank once a week.
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If you're strapped for a job, asking for extra money to cover gas or requesting flex hours that allow you to work from home might be a smarter approach than limiting your search from the get-go, says Pam Lassiter, a career coach and author of The New Job Security. She recommends going all out to land a job that's a good fit, regardless of distance, then negotiating the commute as part of the offer. One of her recent clients did just that—and ended up with the option to work from home. "If she'd eliminated the company at the beginning or asked too early in the process for gas money," Lassiter wrote in an email, "it would have been easy to have lost a great opportunity."
Ryan Sutton, senior vice president of Robert Half International's New England district, says job candidates aren't the only ones making changes. More companies are requesting local candidates from his staffing firm, he says, because while long commutes are always associated with high turnover, paying big bucks at the pump adds to the burden of commuting. Some companies are even offering gas cards as a recruitment tool.
Are gas prices affecting your job search? Tell us about it in the comments.
agrant@usnews.com
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