Study Reveals that Almost Half of Canadian Employees are Considering Switching Jobs in 2022
Wednesday, 08 December 2021 12:00.PM
- 61% of employers show low confidence that they can retain their workers. -
''The Great Resignation'' emerging out of the covid-19 pandemic has been a trending topic in the media over these last few months. A recent Ipsos survey conducted for Randstad Canada reveals how working Canadians in different industries are navigating the current shift and considers how employers can adapt to meet their needs.
job seekers are in the driver's seat
While we are observing an increasing number of job vacancies and new policies allowing more flexible work arrangements, employees have taken the driver's seat. This trend is reflected in Randstad Canada's most recent survey, where 43% of working Canadians indicate they are likely to look for a new job in the upcoming year. This desire to move on from their current job was even higher among young people: 62% of respondents who intend to change jobs are aged from 18 to 34, compared to 48% in the 35 to 54 age group. Percentages are equally distributed across blue and white collar industries.
While 39% of employers are very confident that the vast majority of their employees will want to continue working for them beyond next year, the overwhelming majority (61%) is anticipating the worst. Notably again, there is no variance in these figures by industry - blue collar and white collar employers show nearly identical levels of confidence in their ability to retain their staff.
"What the survey tells us is that a large number of employees do not want to be tied down to their current place of employment, are looking for new opportunities and want to see if the grass is greener in other organizations. This forces employers to rethink their talent attraction strategies and find creative solutions to retain their talent, now and in the long term", says Patrick Poulin, Group President, Randstad Canada".
When asked to explain why they are so confident that their employees will remain with their workplace, nearly half (48%) of those respondents cite a sense of company pride stating, "we are a great place to work", and indicate other factors that they perceive as less impactful such as flexible working models (18%), salary and benefits (17%), and hybrid working models (17%).
show me the money
Employers who are not confident that their staff will remain with them cite the following reasons: other jobs having better salaries/benefits (26%), the competitive job market (23%), the prevalence of freelance work (16%), or the fact that some are choosing to reorient their careers in a new direction (14%).
Given the financial strain that the pandemic has had on many working Canadians, and the long-term shift of work-from-home that many have adapted to, it is not surprising that salary (30%) and a full-time work from home position (24%) are motivating factors for those respondents who say they would leave their jobs if forced to return to the office.
A large proportion of employers who are concerned they won't be able to retain their workforce are aware they will need to adopt drastic changes, with 34% intending to pay more than their competitors, while 23% envision revising their entire business model. Fewer indicate they would ask their staff to work more hours (15%), attempt to re-hire some retired staff (15%), or pursue sponsoring immigrant talent. Nearly one in ten (7%) state they would reduce their business hours or close for a few days.
flexibility does not mean the same to everyone
Employers are divided on how they should handle post-pandemic work structures: 40% of the employers who currently have their staff working from home say they intend to have all staff return to the office permanently, while 60% will institute a hybrid working model in the future.
"As talent scarcity seems to intensify, flexibility will be a key factor in attracting and retaining talent", adds Poulin. "Job seekers have come to appreciate the productivity and balance that remote work has provided them and employers can expect that this will become a basic requirement for job seekers looking for a new employer."
When asking the employees if a return-to-office (RTO) could be a contributing factor for a career change, 53% of those who are currently working remotely say they will be happy to return to the workplace, while 30% say they would be unhappy about it, and 17% state an RTO would lead them to find a new job.
SOURCE: Randstad Interim Inc. dba Randstad Canada