Despite the national unemployment rate remaining fixed at higher than 9 percent, 22 percent of employed workers are proactively finding new jobs within the last year, a 4 point jump from 2010, according to a new Labor Happiness Index commissioned by Snagajob.

Last year the study indicated that 34 percent of respondents who changed jobs in the previous 12 months were either laid off or fired; however, now only 22 percent of respondents report that being the case, a 12 point decline in one year. Still, of the respondents who began a new job in the last year, 44 percent say they were proactively seeking new opportunities, which is up 13 points from the 2010 survey.

"The fact that more workers are looking for – and finding – new positions proactively shows that some employers are indeed hiring aggressively and that opportunity is available for attractive candidates," says Shawn Boyer, CEO of Snagajob. "Employed Americans took advantage of increased opportunity in the last 12 months to make a move that would better their situation. This proactive movement in the job market is certainly not an immediate solace to the unemployed, but it's encouraging to see some opportunities for workers."