A post-recession study has found that employers seeking office workers were more likely to call unemployed applicants with relevant experience than those with similar backgrounds who took a lower-level position during the economic downturn.

Nearly 10% of the jobless applicants were called by the employes, compared to 8.5% of those who had taken a stopgap job.  But some staffing experts still say having a job, any job, beats the alternative, USA Today reports. “I think the employer… says they’re continuing to work and continuing to develop their skills,” says John Reed, an executive at staffing firm Robert Half.