We surveyed 977 UK employees to find out what their key triggers of job changes are, as well as what aspects of the workplace matters to them most, and how social media plays a part in a job change.
Findings
Breakdown of stats
Have you been working for 10 years or over?
Yes – 85.20%
No – 14.80%
If yes, how many times have you changed jobs in the past 10 years?
0 – 22.40%
1 – 19.10%
2 – 17.90%
3 – 15.80%
4 – 6.80%
5+ – 8.90%
Not Applicable – 9.10%
What’s the shortest amount of time you’ve stayed at a job for?
Under a month – 17.40%
1-6 months – 27.20%
7-11 months – 11.10%
1-2 Years – 21.80%
3-4 Years – 8.30%
5+ Years – 14.20%
Which of the following reasons have you left a job due to? (multiple choice)
Low pay – 32.50%
Disagreements with colleagues – 8.90%
Disagreements with management – 21.90%
Difficult commute – 13.40%
Workload – 20.60%
Didn’t enjoy the role – 42.50%
A better opportunity arose – 41.50%
Lack of flexibility – 14.10%
Negative work culture – 27.50%
Poor physical work environment – 9.50%
Ethical reasons – 3.60%
Lack of progression – 20.30%
Role is not enough of a challenge – 10.70%
Role is too difficult – 2.10%
Mental health/burnout – 22.00%
Poor work/life balance – 23.10%
Lack of recognition – 16.30%
How long have you been at your current place of work?
Under 1 year – 20.70%
1-3 years – 22.80%
4-6 years – 18.80%
7-9 years – 11.60%
10+ years – 26.10%
Which of the following would make you stay in a job that you wanted to leave? (Multiple choice)
Pay rise – 74.80%
Remote/flexible working – 45.50%
Flexible hours – 47.70%
Promotion – 35.40%
Reduced workload – 36.00%
Increased benefits – 40.50%
What matters most about a job to you?
Being well-paid – 24.00%
Enjoying your job role – 53.70%
The social side of work (making friends) – 1.70%
Receiving good employee benefits – 4.20%
Being challenged – 3.60%
Making a positive difference – 10.00%
Other – 2.80%
If you selected ‘Other’ please specify here (free text)
Making sure customers get what they want and respect the customers and staff above all have fun with your colleagues and learn from them
worklife balance
enjoying AND making a difference
Good work life balance
Work life balance
pride in work
work life balance
Freedom of the and location to work from anywhere
Other
Work life balance
Disability aware
Easy commute
A combination of enjoying the role and feeling valued
feeling valued
Own boss
Flexibility
Work/life balance
work life balance
Making a difference and feeling respected
My own boss
flexibility
Work life balance
flexibility
routine and exercise
Has the use of any social media platform ever encouraged you to move jobs?
Yes – 14.50%
No – 85.50%
If yes, which apply? (Tick all that apply)
LinkedIn – 9.40%
Instagram – 3.80%
Facebook – 6.20%
Twitter – 2.40%
TikTok – 1.00%
Reddit – 1.30%
Pinterest – 0.60%
Have you ever been head-hunted on LinkedIn?
Yes – 19.40%
No – 80.60%
Have you ever been approached by a recruiter or other business with a new job opportunity?
Yes – 41.40%
No – 58.60%
If so, did you take it?
Yes – 9.80%
No – 33.90%
Not Applicable – 56.30%
How long do you feel that you ‘need’ to stay in a job for it to ‘look good’ on your CV?
6 months to a year – 10.80%
1+ Years – 29.10%
2+ Years – 32.30%
3-5 years – 22.10%
6-9 Years – 2.50%
10+ Years – 3.20%
In-Depth Findings
Have you been working for 10 years or over?
85.2% of the survey respondents had been working for 10 years or over.
100% of respondents who work in the Law sector had been working for 10 years or over, making it the highest percentage out of all of the employment sectors.
93.3% of respondents who worked within Business, Consulting & Management had also been working for 10 years or over, making it the 2nd highest percentage.
The lowest percentage of respondents working for 10 years or more were part of the Hospitality & Events Management sector at 71.4%.
Northern Ireland had the highest percentage (91.7%) of respondents who had been working for 10 years or over.
Whilst Scotland had the lowest percentage (81.7%) of respondents who had been working for 10 years or over.
If yes, how many times have you changed jobs in the past 10 years?
Out of the respondents who had been working for more than 10 years, 22.4% had never changed jobs, making this the most popular option overall.
19.1% of the overall respondents had changed jobs once, 17.9% of the overall respondents had changed jobs twice, 15.8% of respondents had changed jobs three times, 6.8% of overall respondents had changed jobs four times, and finally, 8.9% of overall respondents had changed jobs five times or more.
In the Business, Consulting and Management sector, 35.6% of respondents had changed jobs 3 times in 10 years.
In the Charity & Voluntary Work sector, 28.3% of respondents had not changed jobs in 10 years.
People in Wales were mostly likely to not change jobs in 10 years (32.1%), compared to 16.1% in Yorkshire.
In the North East and Northern Ireland, none of the respondents have changed jobs 5 or more times in 10 years, compared to 14.6% in the South East.
Out of the 18-24 year olds who had worked for 10 years or more, only 3.2% of them have not changed jobs, compared to 42.9% of 65+ who have not changed jobs in 10 years.
16.8% of 25-34 year olds who have worked for more than 10 years have changed jobs 5+ times, compared with 2.3% of 55-64 year olds.
What’s the shortest amount of time you’ve stayed at a job for?
Out of all of the respondents, the most common, shortest amount of time people stayed in a job for was between 1-6 months (27.2%).
17.4% of the overall respondents have stayed in the same job for under a month, 11.1% have stayed 7-11 months, 21.8% stayed between 1-2 years, 8.3% stayed 3-4 years and 14.2% stayed 5 or more years.
Hospitality & Events Management is the sector most likely to stay in a job the shortest, with 35.7% of respondents leaving within a month.
The Engineering & Manufacturing sector stayed the longest time in a job for, with 31.1% of respondents staying 5+ years as a minimum.
Those in the East Midlands were most likely to stay in a job the shortest, with 20.3% of respondents leaving within a month.
Those in Northern Ireland were most likely to stay in the same job for the longest time, with 25% of respondents staying for 5+ years.
The age group most likely to stay in a job for the shortest amount of time was 18-24 year olds, with 32.3% of respondents staying under a month.
The age group most likely to stay for 5+ years were 65+ at 36.7%.
Which of the following reasons have you left a job due to? (Tick all that apply)
The most common reason respondents left a job was that they ‘Didn’t enjoy the role’ (42.5%).
The other most popular reasons respondents said they left a job included: ‘A better opportunity arising’ (41.2%), ‘Low pay’ (32.4%) and ‘Negative work culture’ (27.5%).
The least popular reason respondents left a job was ‘Role being too difficult’ (2.1%).
Other least common reasons respondents gave included: ‘Ethical reasons’ (3.6%), ‘Disagreements with colleagues’ (8.9%) and ‘Poor physical work environment’ (9.5%).
48.9% of respondents in the Engineering & Manufacturing sector left due to ‘Low Pay’.
46.4% of respondents in the Hospitality & Events Management sector left due to ‘Disagreements with management’.
49% of respondents in the South West said they left their job because they ‘Didn’t enjoy the role’.
50% of respondents in London left their jobs because they ‘Didn’t enjoy the role’.
45.2% of respondents aged 18-24 left their jobs due to ‘Low Pay’.
44.3% of respondents aged between 35-44 left their jobs because they ‘Didn’t enjoy the role’.
How long have you been at your current place of work?
Out of all of the respondents, most people (26.1%) had been at their current place of work for 10+ years.
At their current place of work, 20.7% had been there under 1 year, 22.8% had been there 1-3 years, 18.8% had been there 4-6 years and 11.6% had been there for 7-9 years.
The Marketing, Advertising & PR sector had the highest percentage of respondents who had worked in their role for under 1 year (31.8%).
The Engineering & Manufacturing sector had the highest percentage of respondents who had worked in their current role for 10+ years (51.1%).
Northern Ireland had the highest percentage of respondents who had worked in their current role for under 1 year (33.3%).
Wales has the highest percentage of respondents who had worked in their current role for 10+ years at 34%.
67.7% of 18-24 year olds who took part in the survey had been in their current role for under 1 year.
The 65+ age group had the highest percentage of respondents who had worked in their current role for 10+ years.
Which of the following would make you stay in a job that you wanted to leave? (Tick all that apply)
The overwhelming majority (74.8%) of respondents in the survey said that a Pay Rise would make them stay in a job they wanted to leave.
Surprisingly, a promotion was voted the least popular option respondents would take to stay in a job they wanted to leave (35.4%).
94.4% of those working in the Law sector said they would stay in a job they wanted to leave if they were offered a Pay Rise.
0% of respondents in Yorkshire said they would stay in a job they wanted to leave if they were offered a Promotion.
40.2% of those aged between 55-64 would stay in a job they wanted to leave if they were offered a Reduced Workload.
What matters most about a job to you?
‘Enjoying your job role’ matters the most to people in their workplace, with 53.7% voting for this option.
‘The social side of work (making friends)’ mattered the least to respondents in the workplace (1.7%).
‘Being well-paid’ came in second with 24% and ‘Making a positive difference’ was third (10%).
Just 17.2% of respondents in the Education sector chose ‘Making a positive difference’ as what matters most to their job.
The Law sector had the smallest difference between ‘Being well-paid’ (33.3%) and ‘Enjoying your job role’ (38.9%) out of all the sectors.
66.7% of respondents in Scotland said that ‘Enjoying your job role’ matters the most to them in a job role.
9.7% of 18-24 year olds said that ‘Being Challenged’ mattered the most to them in a job role, compared to 1.1% agreeing in the 55-64 age range category.
If you selected ‘Other’ please specify here
The most common answer from all respondents was ‘Work life balance’ when asked what matters most about a job to them.
Other answers included, ‘Freedom to work anywhere’, ‘Disability Aware’, ‘Feeling Valued’ and ‘Easy Commute’.
Has the use of any social media platform ever encouraged you to move jobs?
The vast majority (85.5%) of respondents in the survey had not been encouraged to move jobs by social media.
The Energy and Utilities sector had the most respondents who had been encouraged to move jobs by a social media platform, with 36.4% saying yes.
Northern Ireland had the most respondents who had been encouraged to move jobs by a social media platform, with 33.3% saying yes.
The 65+ age category received the least amount of ‘yes’ answers, with only 2.0% being encouraged to move jobs by a social media platform.
If yes, which apply? (Tick all that apply)
9.4% of respondents who had been encouraged to move jobs through social media, had done so due to LinkedIn.
The second most popular social media platform was Facebook, when it came to encouraging people to move jobs through social media (6.2%).
0.6% of respondents who had been encouraged to move jobs through social media, had done so due to Pinterest.
In the Business, Consulting & Management sector, 13.3% of respondents had been encouraged to move jobs through Reddit.
In the Creative Arts & Design sector, 10.3% of respondents had been encouraged to move jobs through Instagram.
In the Marketing, Advertising & PR sector, 36.4% of respondents had been encouraged to move jobs through LinkedIn.
15.6% of respondents in London had been encouraged to move jobs through LinkedIn.
23.3% of respondents in the 18-24 sector had been encouraged to move jobs through LinkedIn and Instagram.
31.8% of respondents in the 35-44 sector had been encouraged to move jobs through LinkedIn.
Have you ever been head-hunted on LinkedIn?
Just 19.4% of all respondents had been head-hunted on LinkedIn.
80.6% of all respondents haven’t been head-hunted on Linkedin.
The sector with the highest percentage of people head-hunted on LinkedIn is Marketing, Advertising & PR at 68.2%, coinciding with the high percentage of respondents who were encouraged to move jobs through LinkedIn.
33.3% of respondents from Scotland have been head-hunted on LinkedIn.
Unsurprisingly, the highest percentage of those head-hunted on LinkedIn came from the 18-24 age group (35.5%) and the lowest percentage came from the 65+ age group (6.1%)
Have you ever been approached by a recruiter or other business with a new job opportunity?
This was quite a close call, with 41.4% of all responders having been approached by a recruiter or other business with a new job opportunity, and 58.6% not.
The Marketing, Advertising & PR sector had the highest rate of respondents who had been approached by a recruiter or another business with a new job opportunity at 81.8%, out of all of the job sectors.
Out of all of the regions, Scotland had the highest percentage (55%) of respondents who had been approached by a recruiter or another business with a new job opportunity.
The highest percentage of respondents who had been approached by a recruiter or another business in terms of age groups is the 18-24 year olds at 51.6%.
If so, did you take it?
Out of all of the participants who had been offered a new role by a recruiter or another business, only 9.8% responded ‘yes’.
This meant that the majority (33.9%) turned down an offer of a new role when approached by a recruiter or another business.
Continuing the trend, the Marketing, Advertising & PR sector were most likely to accept a new role when approached by a recruiter or another business, as 31.8% of respondents said yes.
The Sales sector was the most likely to turn an opportunity down when approached by a recruiter or another business, as 61.5% said no.
London and Northern Ireland were the regions most likely to accept a new opportunity offered by a recruiter or another business, both having 16.7% of respondents saying yes.
The 45-54 year old category were most likely to say yes if approached by a recruiter or another business (12.2%).
How long do you feel that you ‘need’ to stay in a job for it to ‘look good’ on your CV?
The majority of respondents (32.3%) said that you need to stay 2+ years in a job for it to ‘look good’ on your CV.
3.2% of respondents said that you need to stay 10+ years in a job for it to ‘look good’ on your CV, whereas 10.8% of respondents said you need to stay 6 months to 1 year in a job for it to ‘look good’ on your CV.
13.1% of respondents in the Environment & Agriculture sector said you should stay 10+ years in a job for it to ‘look good’ on your CV.
25.8% of 18-24 year olds think you need to stay 6 months to 1 year in your job for it to ‘look good’ on your CV, compared to 8.2% of 65+ year olds who think you need to stay 10+ years.
Graphics
Most common reasons for leaving a job
Not enjoying the role (43%)
A better opportunity arose (42%)
Low pay (33%)
Negative work culture (28%)
Poor work/life balance (23%)
Most common situations which would make someone stay in a job they wanted to leave
A pay rise (75%)
Remote/flexible working (54%)
Flexible hours (48%)
What matters most about a job?
54% of people said enjoying their role matters most about a job to them
Outside influences
86% of people have never been encouraged to move jobs through use of social media
81% of people have never been headhunted on LinkedIn
59% of people have never been approached by a recruiter or business with a job opportunity
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