Broadband users more likely to find jobs, study says

Job seekers who use the Internet are more likely to keep actively looking for jobs and less likely to drop out of the labor pool than those without Internet access, according to a new study released this morning by the Phoenix Center.

At a time when lawmakers are trying to ease unemployment, which now hovers over 10 percent, and increase Internet access, the study shows an explicit link between the two. The Phoenix Center is a non-profit that studies telecommunications and economics public policy.

The correlation between employment and internet access is even stronger among broadband users.

Using Census data from 2007, the study found that broadband Internet users, whether at home or a public facility, are at least 50 percent less likely to give up job searches because of discouragement.

Dial-up Internet users are about one-third less likely to become unemployed.

Discouragement has been cited by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as a reason for an expected increase in the jobless rate this year. As of December, a large number of workers have quit looking for work because they think no jobs are available.

"Our study also shows the enormous potential benefit of community broadband centers for those who are not connected at home," said Lawrence Spiwak, president of the Phoenix Center. "While broadband use at home delivers significant benefits, shared facilities can be a valuable solution to connectivity gaps in unserved and underserved communities."