It is interesting what the recession has done to all of us, especially those looking for employment. Recently our colleagues at Grafton Recruitment in Czech Republic surveyed both passive and active jobseekers to obtain their insights into how the global recession has impacted their considerations about job opportunities. In the past they found that the main reasons for changing employment was salary or financial benefits. The 2,500 respondents to this survey showed a shift in thinking with job satisfaction being more important than financials. A majority of the respondents (over 70%) were willing to accept a job with lower qualification requirements. They were also willing to invest in education or retrain, if the outcome was a secure role. Some will even change their area of expertise. The survey results show that jobseekers expectation levels adapt with the economic climate. To read more on the Czech Republic survey go to
http://www.grafton.cz/images/stories/cz/PR_MEDIA/Candidate%20Survey.pdf
What we are finding in the UK is that many would like to change companies or even careers but are staying put until the dust settles. A survey of over 3,000 employees by the CIPD found that three out of four respondents had no plans to find a new job, mainly due to the recession decreasing the number of vacancies available. A third of those questioned said they wanted to change their job. One in four said they were looking to switch to a different career. The CIPD predicts that once the economy improves, the flow of talent will pick up and those that are dissatisfied will move on. This highlights the fact that companies can not take their people for granted. The recession may keep the best talent with you for now but taking the time to build employee engagement is necessary if you want them to stay put.
It is interesting to see the differences around the world. What is your experience?