Rising gas prices force workers to make sacrifices

American commuters are feeling the strain and making sacrifices in order to buy the gas they need to get to work everyday. Last month, CareerBuilder.com surveyed more than 8,700 workers nationwide, revealing some interesting statistics.

Of the 89% of workers who said they drive to work, almost half (47%) reported they had to give up something in order to afford the gas needed for the commute.

Workers reported they had to give up the following in order to pay for gas:

• Dined out less – 35%
• Spent less on entertainment – 31%
• Bought less expensive groceries – 27%
• Shopped for clothing less – 24%
• Did not take a vacation – 21%
• Eliminated cable, magazine subscriptions, etc. - 11%

Factoring in the cost of gas, 60% of workers said they would be willing to drive up to 20 miles to the office and 29% would only drive up to 10 miles.

“One-in-ten workers said they would take a pay cut for a job with a shorter commute,” according to Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com.

Employers can help alleviate the burden of high gas prices by looking into transit subsidies, promote carpooling, adopt flexible scheduling and allowing workers to telecommute for part of the week.

For more information, read a previous post on how employers can help ease the pain at the pump for employees.

Rising gas prices force workers to make sacrifices