A recent poll by Moneypenny reveals that 43 percent didn’t change their job during the pandemic despite having plans to because they did not feel that the job market was secure.
Also, 51 percent answered that they thought it was more secure to stay in their current job during Covid-19.
The poll surveyed 1,000 UK office workers aged 18 and over on their attitudes towards switching jobs before Covid-19, during the pandemic, and now as most regulations have been scrapped.
It also found that 14 percent said they were planning to change their job before Covid-19 and have done so during the pandemic, with the youngest age group (18 to 24-year-olds) most likely to answer this at 44 percent.
What are the most important aspects when looking for a new job?
Interesting, 64 percent said their top priorities when it comes to aspects of their jobs have changed because of Covid-19.
The research revealed the most important aspects of jobs are now:
- salary: 46%
- flexibility in general: 22%
- option to work from home or the office: 11%
- company culture: 9%
- benefits: 6%
In terms of the percentages of those thinking about changing their job shortly, 37 percent said they would stay in the same sector, 40 percent said they would move to a different sector and 23 percent don’t know.
What does this mean for HR?
Group CEO at Moneypenny, Joanna Swash, said: “The pandemic has led many of us to re-evaluate our life choices and what is important to us.
“We were surprised to discover that 52 percent responded in our survey said that they were planning to change their job before Covid-19, but have not done so during the pandemic. However, it was also very interesting to see how many people admitted Covid-19 changed their top priorities when it comes to jobs.
“We hope our findings will help people who are debating whether to change careers and show they are not on their own in their decision”.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
