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New poll finds out what makes job hunters tick

23 March 2021

A survey of UK professionals has shed new light on why Brits leave their jobs and what persuades them to take new ones.

Energy business Gazprom Marketing & Trading (GM&T) has surveyed full-time employed professionals working across a range of sectors to discover job hunters' attitudes and experiences when searching for a new role.

The findings show that most people leave a job because they are looking for progression (28%), they want more money (24%) or they aren't happy with the workplace culture (13%). Meanwhile, job candidates said their main reason for accepting a new job were: salary (34%), opportunities for career progression (22%) and a positive workplace culture (17%).

Despite the importance of money, when asked why they left their previous job, the majority of respondents (60%) said it was to seek out new challenges, a desire for more progression and as a way to enhance their CV. Most UK workers (64%) stay in a position for two or more years and three-quarters of candidates said a company's reputation is important when looking for a job.

"If a business effectively builds its reputation, their dream candidates will soon start knocking on their door," said Rachael Parrott, resourcing partner at GM&T. "And while this takes time, it's a worthwhile investment that will ensure relevant, high-quality candidates, while helping to lower an organisation's recruitment overheads in the long term too."

The GM&T research also investigated recruitment trends. The results show that:

  • 57% of job hunters use employer websites directly to find out about job opportunities;
  • 54% use job posting sites;
  • 40% use professional networks;
  • 26% use social media;
  • Just 12% work directly with recruiters.

Finding a new job can take some time, it seems, with 49% of job seekers finding a new role in the first three months of searching and 84% within six months. The vast majority (95%) attend fewer than five interviews before securing a new role.

Also published this week, a new survey suggests that the pandemic is having a significant impact on managers. The poll by not-for-profit healthcare provider Benenden Health has found that 61% of UK managers have experienced burnout at work since the UK was first placed into lockdown, with 20% considering quitting their job as a result of the strain on their mental wellbeing.

The main causes of burnout at work in the past year were shown to be anxiety about the future (46%), a lack of sleep (40%), limited social interaction (35%), increased demands from senior leadership (28%) and managing home schooling with work (26%), whilst a third (34%) of burnout sufferers said that working longer hours had contributed.

Written by Rachel Miller.

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