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Over One Third of British Workers Intending to Move Jobs When Recession Ends

Ref. PR-02135

New research from specialist recruitment firm Robert Half reveals that British workers are planning to make a mass exodus from their jobs once the UK comes out of recession.

 

The poll of over 3,000 British workers revealed that 37% are planning to leave their current job as soon as the economy is more stable, and nearly half (49%) within six months of official Government figures confirming that the recession is over.

According to the survey, four in 10 (39%) people have only stayed in their current job for so long to ensure security during hard times. Two thirds of respondents (62%) said that the credit crunch made them nervous about changing jobs, and 69% said that they were more likely to think twice about taking risks.

The recession has meant that, overall, 78% of Brits have simply felt lucky to have a job over the past two years, but the reality is that 26% of all workers have been desperately unhappy in their jobs for 12 months or longer.

Phil Sheridan, Managing Director of Robert Half UK said: “Whilst the recession has seen the job market slow down significantly, our research shows many are looking to move jobs once the economy picks up. Employers need to ensure that they are doing all they can to keep staff morale high so that they do not lose their best people as soon as they see positive signs that the recession has ended.”

Those working in marketing and public relations positions will be the first to down tools and pick up the jobs pages, with 62% claiming to be unhappy in their current role. Nearly half of all IT specialists (49%), legal professionals (49%) and secretarial or PA staff (45%) were also found to be unhappy in their present jobs.

Nearly two-thirds (61%) of accountants surveyed said that they were considering changing jobs, with one in five (22%) stating that they had been unhappy in their current job for a year or longer, Those accountants who said that they wanted to change jobs said that they would wait, on average, seven months after the recession until they started looking for a new role, although one third (33%) had already started looking. 

When it comes to moving on from their current position, 37% of people said now is the time to embark on a completely new career, but they will choose their new firm with care, 47% of people saying that they would not consider moving to a company which has made redundancies during the recession in case the same thing happened to them.

Surprisingly, pay is not the most important consideration when seeking a new job. Location (57%) and working hours (56%) were cited as more of a priority than pay (51%).  For those that are looking for more pay, the average increase they are looking for is £4,000 per year.

Top Five Priorities When Looking For a New Job:

  1. Location
  2. Working hours
  3. Pay rise
  4. Promotion
  5. Job perks

For those workers who are not looking to move jobs straight away, many plan to make changes within their current role to ensure they are happier in the work place. A fifth of respondents (20%) intend to ask bosses for a pay rise – something they had not wanted to press over the past couple of years.

Another 20% want to be more assertive in the work place, and 17% intend to push for a much wanted promotion. 15% intend to work shorter hours – after working hard just to keep their job during the credit crunch.

Phil Sheridan continued: “Employees who decide to stay in their jobs post-recession will expect to be rewarded for their hard work getting their company through the recession. Whilst a long overdue pay rise might be what some are looking for, others will want flexible or shorter hours to change their working patterns.”

During September and October Robert Half is hosting a series of events to help organisations overcome the challenge of staff retention. Sessions will be held in a number of cities across the UK including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol. 

Document: Staff Retention

Contact Us

For further information please contact:

Michelle Whitman
Robert Half International
Tel : 020 7331 2222
Email : michelle.whitman@rhi.net