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As 2012 ushers in an improving, but still highly competitive job market, more workers may be looking beyond their own backyard for employment options. According to a new nationwide study conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder, 44 percent of workers said they would be willing to relocate for a career opportunity, according to a nationwide study by CareerBuilder.

At the same time, employers struggling to find workers for skilled positions said they are willing to pay to bring talent to their locations. Thirty-two percent reported they would be willing to pay to relocate new employees in 2012. Nineteen percent would be willing to pay a smaller first year salary in order to give a signing bonus to relocate an employee.

The national survey was conducted from November 9 to December 5, 2011 among more than 3,000 employers and more than 7,000 workers.

To help workers zero in on markets with the greatest demand for their skills and assess costs of moving to and living in a particular area, CareerBuilder launched CareerRelocate.com. Through this new site, workers can:

• Run a simple keyword or category search and view a map detailing where the most and fewest opportunities are for their line of work.
• View actual relocation opportunities in different cities.
• Learn what they would need to earn in order to maintain their current standard of living in another city.
• Research homes, property values, mortgage quotes, moving and storage costs.
• Tap into articles and advice on relocating and hiring trends.

While employers will move current staff and new hires for a wide variety of positions, the top areas for which they are most likely to pay to relocate employees are tied to technology and revenue-generation:

• Engineering – 30 percent of employers
• Information Technology – 23 percent
• Business Development – 21 percent
• Sales – 21 percent
• Financial – 16 percent
• Marketing – 13 percent
• Legal – 11 percent

The vast majority of workers who relocated in the last year – 77 percent – reported they were happy with the move and didn't regret the decision. Workers reported benefitting in the following ways:

• Made a fresh start – 30 percent
• Made new friends – 31 percent
• Had new experiences we wouldn't have had anywhere else – 29 percent
• Earning at a higher level gave the family more spending options – 27 percent
• Better long-term career opportunities – 22 percent
• Area is nicer and schools are better – 19 percent

Of those workers who relocated in the last year, 41 percent said their family didn't relocate with them and they have to travel to see them. Top challenges associated with relocating included:

• Cost of living is higher – 26 percent
• More stress on the family unit – 24 percent
• Difficult to make new friends – 18 percent
• Feeling homesick – 16 percent