Adecco's Third Annual Take a Child to Work Day Survey Reveals Kids' Career Preferences and Expectations; Survey Also Proves the Old Adage That 'Kids Say the Darnedest Things'.

Business Editors

MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2003

America's future workforce has clear-cut priorities when it comes to balancing career and family.

In a survey conducted by Adecco (NYSE:ADO), the nation's largest staffing and human resource solutions company, 88% of the children polled said that spending time with family is more important than earning a large salary. This is the third year in a row that the vast majority have responded that family is an important factor when making career decisions.

The survey, part of Adecco's annual celebration of "Take a Child to Work Day," asked 245 children between the ages of 6 and 14 about their career expectations. Teaching was a clear winner among girls 6 to 9 years old, chosen by 42% of that group, although one young lady is determined to have a dual career combining teaching and dog grooming. When asked how she would prepare for a teaching career, one respondent stated, "I would buy lots of school supplies." Medicine, the most popular career choice for this group in 2002, was the runner-up this year, with 30% naming doctor, nurse, dentist, veterinarian, or pharmacist as their chosen path.

Boys in the same age group have varied career interests, with the largest block (17%) opting for police work. Professional sports and acting were other popular choices, and possibly reflecting current world events, several boys plan to join the Army. One ambitious young man wants to be "CEO of the Empire State Building," and a budding paleontologist, asked how he is preparing for the job, answered, "I dig the chips out of chocolate chip cookies without breaking the cookies."

The majority of girls 10 to 12 are interested in medicine (37%), teaching (33%), and the performing arts (10%). The most popular choice for boys 10 to 12 is professional athlete (23%), with one aspiring football player holding out for a salary of precisely $5,000,627. The next largest group in this age range want to become police officers (11%). To prepare for his career as a comedian, one boy declared that all he needs to do is "be myself."

Many of the older girls, aged 13-14, are drawn to the health sciences (42%), especially physical therapy, obstetrics, and veterinary medicine. Teenaged boys showed no clear career trend, being interested in such varied pursuits as psychiatry, herpetology, acting, and owning a business.

Asked what they think is the coolest job in the universe, many children revealed that they are going after the coolest job they can imagine. Others named positions that for one reason or another they will not ultimately pursue. Some of the more idiosyncratic choices include Disney World employee, ice cream server, super hero, whale trainer, roller coaster designer, Lego builder, and princess. Asked how she would prepare for a career as a princess, our respondent replied that she would "wear a dress." One very family-oriented boy thought that the coolest job under the sun is being a dad.

Since being president of the United States is one of the biggest jobs there is, we asked the children about the three most important things they would do as president. Recurring themes included housing the homeless, ending world hunger, and protecting the environment. For the first time in the three years the survey has been conducted, Homeland Security issues such as "making sure that everyone in the country is safe" and "ending all wars" were priorities. The children obviously gave this question serious thought, coming up with these intriguing answers, among others:

-- Be very honest

-- Put my name on a coin

-- Make a toy called the "Carmobile" to teach children how to

drive

-- Tell people it's okay to be a different color because we're

all the same people

-- Shorten the school year

-- Lengthen the school year

-- Add a third day to the weekend

-- Make healthcare free for everyone

-- Raise the stock market

-- Make more speed bumps

-- Build more Krispy Kreme doughnut shops

-- Help rebuild what we tore down in Baghdad

-- Make every Thursday "70% Off Day" at Mexican and pizza

restaurants

-- Try to be ready for everything

One young man summed it up eloquently with the words, "If I were president, I would work to preserve life, liberty and happiness."

While this may not be the most scientific survey, it clearly shows that thoughts of a career begin at an early age. Based on this survey, Adecco foresees that tomorrow's workforce will contribute greatly to society with their intelligence and wit, and that they understand the importance of quality of life issues in creating a balance between work and family commitments.

About Adecco

Adecco S.A. is a Forbes 500 company and the global leader in HR Solutions. The Adecco Group network connects over 650,000 associates with business clients each day through its network of over 28,000 employees and over 5,800 offices in 63 countries around the world. Registered in Switzerland, and managed by a multinational team with expertise in markets spanning the globe, the Adecco Group delivers an unparalleled range of flexible staffing and career resources to corporate clients and qualified associates.

The Adecco Group comprises four Divisions, Adecco Staffing, Ajilon Professional, LHH Career Services and jobpilot e-HR Services. In Adecco Staffing, the Adecco staffing network focuses on flexible staffing solutions for global industries in transition, including automotive, banking, electronics, logistics and telecommunications; Ajilon Professional offers an unrivalled range of specialized branded businesses; LHH Career Services encompasses our portfolio of outplacement and coaching; jobpilot e-HR focuses on online recruiting activities for the Adecco Group.

Adecco USA serves more than 70,000 clients a year through a nationwide network of almost 1,500 points of sales and service. With headquarters in Melville, NY, Adecco USA employs about 3,400 full-time employees and places more than 120,000 temporary associates each week.

Adecco S.A. is registered in Switzerland and is listed on the Swiss Exchange (ADEN / trading on Virt-x: 1213860), NYSE (ADO), Euronext Premier Marche (12819). Further information can be found at www.adecco.com.