More Jobs for Returning Workers

Thanks to a tighter labor market, re-entering the workforce has never been easier, a survey finds.

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Amid increasing competition for talent, Americans re-entering the workforce after an extended absence say they're having no trouble finding jobs, especially for skilled workers. 

In a survey of 6,852 workers who had previously dropped out of the workforce for at least a year, nearly half said they found a job in less than a month, according to CareerBuilder, a Chicago-based employment firm. About a third said they found a job within six months, while 14 percent said it took over a year, the survey found.

"This goes back to the labor shortage factor in the job market today," Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder's vice president of human resources, said in a statement. Even in a tight labor market, she said, skilled workers re-entering the workforce can still find good jobs with competitive wages.

Apart from finding work, respondents said the biggest challenge of rejoining the workforce was the need to prove themselves again, followed by the difficulty of explaining a wide gap in employment and competition with younger workers.

Haefner said returning workers should consider writing a more extensive cover letter, including the reason for their extended absence. Beyond that, they should also stay active with volunteer work or other career development opportunities during their time away from the workforce.