Over 70 Percent of Active Young Professional Workforce is Looking for a New Job

A recent survey* conducted by employer branding firm, Universum, found that 71 percent of young professionals are interested in changing employers — 72 percent having applied for a job in the last 12 months.  Moreover, 26 percent are interested in changing employers within the next six months.

“The percentage of young professionals who indicated they are interested in changing employers has actually increased since we last conducted this survey earlier this year,” says research project manager, Melissa Burdette, “As the economy rebounds organizations may see retention problem as employees seek opportunities at employers with a better offer that matches what they are looking for.”

During the survey, young professionals were asked to rank a list of drivers of employer attractiveness by importance.  “People and Culture” and “Remuneration and Advancement Opportunities” sits at the top followed by, but not ranked nearly as high, “Employer Reputation/Job Image” and “Job Characteristics”.

Complementing these findings, a recent study conducted by Globoforce found similar results – 38 percent of the respondents said they want to leave their current job.  Why? More than half of those respondents are not satisfied with the level of recognition they receive on the job followed by 38 percent noting that they do not feel appreciated at work.

Even in a time of such high job instability, people are willing to leave an employer if they are not happy.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics, recently cited in an article by ABC news, found that more workers are voluntarily leaving their jobs over being laid off (1.849 million compared to 1.657 million).

“When it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent, especially in today’s volatile economy, it is important to talk to your employees, make a radical, yet strategic shift in your thinking and to begin developing a long-term strategy,” Dayna Paul, a writer for TLNT wrote recently in an article titled “What You Ought to Know About Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent”, “When it comes right down to it, it’s no longer good enough to just offer free coffee in the break rooms.”

About Universum:

Universum is the global leader in employer branding. Our mission is to be a global meeting place for talent and employers. We offer services and products that help employers attract, recruit and retain ideal talent while helping talent learn about ideal employers

*The Professional Survey was conducted between the months of July 2011 and September 2011 – 6,698 Young Professionals completed the survey.  A Young Professional has 1 – 8 years of working experience, 4 year bachelor degree with a maximum age of 40.

Contact Information:

Chris Campellone
Cell: +1 215-847-5748
E-mail: chris.campellone@universumusa.com

Posted by RecruitingTrends.com on November 1, 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry