Seller’s market: Brits plot job changes amid staff shortages
More than a quarter of UK employees expect to move jobs within the next six months as skilled staff look to cash in on unprecedented staff shortages.
A new survey of more than 6,000 adults suggests that almost seven in ten employees would feel confident looking for a new job in the next couple of months.
The surge in job-hunting comes amid a race for talent amongst businesses in a market light on skilled staff and heavy on vacancies.
The number of job openings is at a record high in the UK as firms face a wave of pent-up demand as the economy reopens after Covid-19.
But a combination of factors, including people leaving the UK as a result of either Brexit or the pandemic, has left many of those firms struggling to find staff.
Employees in construction, tech, logistics and manufacturing were most confident that they would be able to find a job elsewhere.
Victoria Short, CEO of Randstad UK who carried out the survey, said: “A lot of people who wanted to quit just hadn’t and they led to a deluge of resignations. Another factor is burnout.
“Some teams have been running too hot for too long. The pandemic has changed how some people think about life, work, and what they want out of both. It’s made people step back and rethink their lives. Covid has reminded them that life is too short – and the number of vacancies means that not only do they want to change one of the key aspects of their life – their jobs – they can,” she continued.
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