Chicago, IL, United States (AHN) – Sixty percent of workers who were laid off in the last year have reported finding new jobs, 88 percent of them finding full-time positions. However of those still seeking employment, 56 percent said they are nervous about returning to work after an extended period of unemployment.

The survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive© from May 19 to June 8, 2011, included more than 800 workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last year.

The findings also reflected the anxiety many respondents felt. Fifty percent of laid off, unemployed workers said it was the pressure to prove themselves while 40 percent pointed to fear of the unknown and 21 percent cited new technologies with which they may not be familiar.

Many of the workers who were forced to seek new employment found new jobs in entirely different fields than where they previously worked.

Respondents provided the following real-life examples of how they transitioned to new career paths:

Financial advisor became a grade school teacher, restaurant manager became a computer technician, video store manager became a home health aide, music teacher became an animal care technician and a marketing manager became an engineer

“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. As the economy recovers, we need to focus on retraining and ‘re-skilling’ workers to help them move to new fields with a greater number of opportunities.”

In addition to changing industries workers are also changing residences. Of workers who were laid off and found new jobs, 36 percent reported they relocated to a new city or state. Of those who haven’t found new jobs yet, 38 percent said they would consider relocating for a position.

Despite the state of the economy the majority of laid off workers who found new jobs reported their pay is similar or higher than their previous position. However for those who still haven’t found work at an established firm or organization, many have decided to work for themselves and start a business.

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