68% of employees looking for new jobs - survey
New Zealand employers may struggle to retain workers over the next 12 months, with 68% of employees likely to be looking for a new job.
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BUSINESSDESK: New Zealand employers may struggle to retain workers over the next 12 months, with 68% of employees likely to be looking for a new job.
The Kelly Global Workforce Index says that is just higher than the international average of 66% in the survey canvasing about 170,000 people across 30 countries.
Out of the 3500 New Zealanders surveyed, 50% said they were happy in their job, while 27% were unhappy.
“For employees, the response to years working in a sluggish economy – which has often meant coping with greater demands with fewer staff, lower wage growth and fewer opportunities for promotion – is the significant restlessness we are seeing in this new KGWI,” Kelly Services managing director Debbie Grenfell said.
As the economy begins to improve, employers are likely to find it increasingly competitive, not only to hire new staff but also to retain their best employees, she said.
Defying stereotypes, 74% of baby boomers - those aged 49 to 66 - were most likely to switch jobs over the next 12 months.
That compares to 69% of Gen X, aged 31 to 48, and 66% of Gen Y, aged 19 to 30.
Financial reward was not employees’ key motivator when looking for a job, with 48% of respondents citing personal fulfilment as the most important consideration, followed by growth/advancement at 37%.
Financial consideration accounted for only 10% of responses.
“The key here is that employers need to look at a range of ways to engage their staff – giving them opportunities to maintain a good work/life balance and derive ‘meaning’ from their work," Ms Grenfell said.
Hannah Lynch
Mon, 23 Apr 2012
Mon, 23 Apr 2012
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68% of employees looking for new jobs - survey
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