A growing number of professionals are saying 'no, thanks' to prospective employers asking them to change jobs.
　　Spooked by the shaky economy, 46% of U.S. middle managers polled in mid-September said switching employers in the current environment is risky, according to a survey by Accenture Ltd. Just 13% of respondents said they were actively looking for a new job, down from 30% the last time Accenture conducted a similar survey in 2005.
　　The findings are echoed by search-firm recruiters, who say they are having to work harder just to get professionals to hear out job opportunities they have to offer. And dire tales of people losing their jobs shortly after being hired, although rare, are helping to spread caution among workers.
　　Many employees are hesitant to join new companies because 'there's a level of uncertainty,' says David Smith, managing director of talent and organization performance at Accenture, a global consulting company. It's unclear whether a different employer will be able to provide sufficient job security, training, advancement opportunities and other benefits. By contrast, they know what's available to them where they work now, he says.
　　The Accenture survey, to be released Thursday, polled via the Internet 322 middle managers, including account supervisors, associate vice presidents and sales managers. In its 2005 survey, which polled 225 professionals about their job outlooks, Accenture didn't ask about perceptions of risk because the economy was strong at the time, a spokesman says.
　　Professionals who are considering switching jobs should carefully vet the financial health of a prospective employer, job recruiters say. To protect themselves, job candidates also should try to request that a severance package be included in any employment contract.
　　Workers may have good reason to be cautious about making a career move at such an economically volatile time. Consider what happened to an information-technology professional who resigned from his job at a New York investment bank. In late September, the employee accepted a written offer for a management job paying $120,000 a year. Days before he was to start, the new employer, a New York-based hedge fund, decided not to fill the position, citing upheaval in the financial markets as the reason, says Ron Weiss, a partner at search firm BMW Group Inc., who had introduced the parties to each other.
　　Though the hedge fund followed through on a promise to pay the candidate a $32,000 sign-on bonus, he was left initially without a job, says Mr. Weiss, who adds that this is the first time he has seen a job fall through at such a late stage of the process. The IT professional recently was hired by a foreign bank, the recruiter says.
　　Search firms say they are finding it harder to lure prospective candidates. 'We have to really create for them something that is a sure thing,' says Robin Bland, a senior recruiter at QuestPro, a search firm in Dallas that specializes in the insurance industry. 'We have to bombard them with information about a potential employer so they feel secure about it.'
　　Candidates also are taking longer to make up their minds about a job offer, says Aaron Brooks, managing director at Chicago-based search firm Mergis Group. 'Companies need to realize that candidates are more in the driver's seat than they might think,' he says.
　　Professionals should consider that when an employer needs to lay off workers, 'sometimes it's last in, first out,' says Dale Winston, chairman and chief executive officer of Battalia Winston International, an executive-search firm based in New York. In other instances, an entire division may be cut.
　　Kevin Burke was laid off earlier this month as a vice president of finance at a large chemical manufacturer after just seven months at the job. He had relocated his family for the position from Ohio to Missouri, where he bought a home. He says the company was having financial troubles and eliminated the department he worked in. 'I certainly was surprised,' he says.
　　Mr. Burke, 41 years old, had left behind a similar job at an automotive manufacturer. Despite the upheaval, he says, he doesn't blame his latest employer for what happened. 'Market conditions dictated this result,' he says. 'Nobody expected the economy to burst as it has.'
　　Job candidates may be able to protect themselves to some degree by asking prospective employers some direct questions, says Paula Marks, an executive coach and managing partner at Gilbert Tweed Associates, an executive-search firm in New York. For example: What's the financial status of the company? What is the employee turnover like? Do you expect the company to be sold anytime soon? When was the last time you had layoffs? What criteria did you use for those layoffs?
　　Meanwhile, do some research on your own, adds Ms. Marks. Search the Web for news articles for insight into a potential new employer's financial status and layoff history. If it's a public company, review its 10-K filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission -- documents that summarize a public company's performance. Networking is also critical, says Ms. Marks. Seek out referrals to past and present employees at the company you're considering joining to get their opinions and more information about the organization.
　　Candidates also should try to secure a severance package as part of their employment contract and have an attorney review it before accepting a job offer, says Ms. Marks. Propose the same size package your current employer has promised you if you were to be dismissed, she advises. Should you want another amount, offer what you're most comfortable with. If your request is rejected, consider turning the offer down. 'You have to protect yourself,' she says.
　　It's wise to weigh the pros and cons of a job change with a professional career coach or mentor, says Ms. Marks. 'Don't discuss it with friends and family. They bring their own baggage, their own fears.'

越來越多的職場人士正對希望他們跳槽的潛在雇主說“不，謝謝”。
　　埃森哲(Accenture Ltd.)公布的一項調查顯示，9月中旬接受調查的美國中層經理中，有46%的人表示在當前環境下跳槽有危險，他們都對搖搖欲墜的經濟形勢感到憂慮。只有13%的受訪者表示自己正在積極尋找新工作，這一比例低于2005年埃森哲上次進行類似調查時的30%。
　　這一調查結果得到了獵頭公司招聘人員的認同。他們表示，現在要讓職業人士耐心聽完他們提供的就業機會介紹是更加困難了。而有人被雇不久就慘遭解聘，這類不幸故事也推動了員工謹慎情緒迅速蔓延。
　　埃森哲是一家全球咨詢公司。負責人才和組織業績的董事總經理大衛·史密斯(David Smith)表示，由于高度的不確定性，許多員工都對跳槽去新公司猶豫不決。他們不清楚新雇主是否能提供充分的職業保障、培訓、晉升機會以及其他福利。相比之下，他們清楚現在工作所能提供的機會和福利。
　　埃森哲此次通過網絡調查了322位中層經理，包括賬戶監理、助理副總裁以及銷售經理。公司一位發言人表示，2005年公司調查了225位職業人士對各自就業前景的看法，因為當時經濟表現強勁，公司并沒有詢問有關風險的感受。
　　招聘人員表示，考慮換工作的職業人士應當謹慎考察未來雇主的財務狀況。為了保護自己，求職人士還應該努力爭取在未來工作合同內寫入離職協議。
　　面臨如此動蕩的經濟形勢，員工們可能有足夠的理由對跳槽保持謹慎。獵頭公司BMW Group Inc.的合伙人威斯(Ron Weiss)介紹了一個IT員工的遭遇。這位員工辭去了紐約一家投行的工作，在9月底接受了一個年薪12萬美元的管理職位。就在他準備開始新工作的幾天前，他的新東家──紐約一家對沖基金決定不再提供這個工作機會，給出的理由是金融市場動蕩。
　　威斯說，盡管這家對沖基金履行了32,000美元的簽約獎金承諾，但他起初有段時間找不到工作。威斯補充說，這是他第一次看到工作崗位在招聘過程如此晚的階段被取消。招聘人員稱，這位IT員工最近被一家外資銀行雇傭了。
　　獵頭公司稱，他們發現現在更難吸引潛在的跳槽者了。達拉斯保險業獵頭公司QuestPro的高級招聘人員布蘭德(Robin Bland)說，我們必須為他們創造有絕對把握的機會，必須向他們提供潛在雇主的海量信息，讓他們感覺心中有數。
　　芝加哥獵頭公司Mergis Group的董事總經理布魯克斯(Aaron Brooks)說，現在求職者在決定是否接受一份工作時也要花更長時間；公司需要意識到一點，也就是求職者比他們想像的要有更大的決定權。
　　紐約高管獵頭公司Battalia Winston International董事長兼首席執行長文斯頓(Dale Winston)說，職業人士應該考慮到，當公司需要裁員時，有時候是按照“后進先出”的原則進行。有些情況下，則是整個部門全軍覆沒。
　　伯克(Kevin Burke)本月早些時候剛剛被裁員了，此前他在一家大型化工企業只擔任了七個月的財務副總裁。為了這個職位，他從俄亥俄州舉家搬遷到密蘇里州，并且買了一幢房子。他說，公司陷入財務困境，將他工作的部門整個裁掉了。他說，我當然是大吃一驚。
　　今年41歲的伯克是從一家汽車生產企業的類似職位跳槽過來的。他說，盡管被裁員了，但是他并不責怪公司。他說，市場形勢決定了必然出現這一結果，沒有人預料到經濟會像現在這樣急劇下滑。
　　紐約高管獵頭公司Gilbert Tweed Associates的高管指導、執行合伙人馬克斯(Paula Marks)說，求職者或許可以直截了當地向未來的雇主提出一些問題，以在一定程度上保護自己。比如說，公司的財務狀況如何？員工的流動速度如何？你預計公司短期內會被賣掉嗎？你們上次裁員是在什么時候？裁員的標準是什么？
　　馬克斯說，同時你自己也要做些調查。可以上網查詢新聞報導，深入了解潛在雇主的財務狀況和裁員歷史。如果是家上市公司，可以閱讀它向美國證券交易委員會提交的10-K文件，這類文件總結了上市公司的業績。馬克斯還說，人脈也至關重要。找找你考慮加入的那家公司的前雇員和現在的員工，征求他們的看法，并獲得對公司的更多了解。
　　馬克斯說，求職者還應該努力爭取在雇傭合同中加入離職補償方案，并在接受工作前讓律師先審查一下。她建議，可以向潛在雇主提出，如果你被解雇，應該獲得和現在雇主承諾的相同的補償。如果你希望不同數額的補償，那么就提出你感到最充裕的數額。如果你的要求被拒絕，就考慮不接受這份工作。她說，你必須保護自己。
　　馬克斯說，明智的做法是與專業的職業指導或顧問討論跳槽的利弊。她說，不要和朋友或家人商量，因為他們會加入自己的看法和擔心。