It’s that time of year again when people are out with the old and in with the new, and that includes their jobs. Yahoo! HotJobs (Nasdaq:YHOO) surveyed more than 5,000 U.S. workers and found nearly half plan to search for a new job in 2007. And that number only represents those who will actively look. Another two-thirds of currently employed respondents said they may not actively seek out a new job, but that they would be open to one if the right opportunity came along.
"The notion of employees jumping ship is a critical risk factor for many of today’s leading businesses," said Susan Vobejda, vice president of marketing at Yahoo! HotJobs. "Organizations need to take this very seriously and build the pipeline by going after those who would be open to new opportunities in addition to those who are actively searching."
Why Workers are Leaving:
- Seventy-five percent of respondents said they did not receive the bonus or the raise they expected for their performance in 2005.
- More than half of the people said they have to work on their days off at least once per month, and more than one-third said they do some aspect of work every single day.
- Twenty-seven percent think they can get better salaries elsewhere.
- Nineteen percent don’t feel there is any potential for career growth in their current jobs.
- Nineteen percent want a better benefits package.
So what does it take for employees to feel like they are successful? It’s not just the money. While a high salary is important for many workers, the survey found that a significant 90 percent of respondents need to have a strong work/life balance and a feeling of fulfillment in order to feel like they are successful in their careers. However, the survey revealed many hesitate to go after a new job regardless of whether they are striving for more balance or a better salary.
"Job seekers have a lot of leverage these days with unemployment rates at historically low levels," said Vobejda. "However, we are increasingly hearing from people that one of the main reasons they have not actually started their job search is procrastination."
The New Career Check-In:
In order to give people a jump start, Yahoo! HotJobs, along with Assessment.com, has developed a new tool to help people gauge their job satisfaction and career progress. People can visit a microsite located off of the Yahoo! HotJobs home page (https://hotjobs.yahoo.com) to take an assessment quiz and access new content, advice and other tools for managing one’s career. The quiz features questions like, "How do you feel about your boss?", "When you wake up in the morning how do you feel about going to work?", and "Is this where you thought you’d be three years ago?". Based on the respondents’ answers the tool then offers advice about their employment options and possible next steps.
"One of the biggest obstacles for job seekers considering taking the next step is fear or apathy of the job search process," said Tom Musbach, editor and career expert for Yahoo! HotJobs. "Our new assessment tool provides customized guidance and is a great place for them to easily get started. The microsite also includes assistance to job seekers on developing a resume, handling the interview process and even preventing their current employers from knowing they’re looking."
About the Yahoo! HotJobs Job Satisfaction Survey
Data was collected from 5,331 employed adults in the United States using an online survey during the last two weeks of October 2006. Fifty-six percent of the respondents were male and 44 percent were female. Complete survey results are available to members of the media and can be obtained by requesting them by email.
About Yahoo! HotJobs
As a leader in the online recruiting industry, Yahoo! HotJobs (https://hotjobs.yahoo.com) has revolutionized the way people manage their careers and the way companies hire talent. Yahoo! HotJobs’ tools and advice put job seekers in control of their careers and make it easier and more cost-effective for employers and staffing firms to find qualified candidates. In addition to its popular consumer job board, Yahoo! HotJobs provides employers, recruiters and staffing agencies with progressive recruiting solutions.
This article was last modified on January 6, 2023
This article was first published on January 4, 2007
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