Why people look for another job

Why people look for another job

Why are so many people switching jobs? According to recruiting experts Hays, it’s for more challenging or exciting work and a lack of career development.

61 per cent of 1,516 people surveyed by Hays said the number one reason they look for another job is for more challenging or exciting work. This was followed closely by a lack of career development (60 per cent), the opportunity to improve salary (58 per cent) and work-life balance (54 per cent).

Also cited were a lack of recognition or reward for completed work (43 per cent), a feeling that the current job feels routine and is stagnating existing skills (41 per cent), management’s failure to communicate business objectives to staff (30 per cent) and not being involved in decision making (24 per cent).

23 per cent said their decision to change jobs was due to a lack of performance feedback.

Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand, wasn’t surprised by the result and says it gives people managers a clear starting place for their retention efforts.

“People managers can invest a lot of time in ensuring they recruit the right person, but often then spend little time on their retention,” he says.

“People want to be challenged, they want new and exciting work, and they want the opportunity for their career to move forward. So why don’t more employers link the career development of their staff and the provision of new, exciting and challenging tasks with their organisation’s overall goals?”

80 per cent of employees expect to be involved in projects that develop their skills

In its survey Hays also found that 68 per cent of employers align the career development of their staff with the current and future skills their organisation will need to achieve its goals. But 11 per cent do not, another 11 per cent only do so for their top performers and the final 10 per cent only do so for future leaders.

Yet 80 per cent of employees want – and expect – to be involved in projects that help develop their skills so that they can move into a higher-level role. To develop their career they also want internal training (69 per cent) and mentorship programmes (66 per cent).

According to Jason, this is positive news for employers and HR professionals. “Rapid technological change and the digitalisation of the workforce will make upskilling your existing staff even more important if you are to keep up with the rapid rate of change,” he said.

Hays is the most followed recruitment agency on LinkedIn in the world. Join Hays’ growing network by following Hays Worldwide. You can also get expert advice, insights and the latest recruitment news by following Hays on Twitter @HaysNewZealand.

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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