Randstad: 70 percent of employees are open to a new job

Employers are coming under increasing pressure to attract and retain staff. Almost a third of young people are actively looking for different work, and 70 percent of employees are open to a new job, according to employment agency Randstad whose research involved 35,000 employees worldwide.

Nearly half of employees believe that if they lost their job they would quickly find a new one. As a result, confidence in the current labor market remains strong.

Companies should step up their efforts, especially since the younger generations, Millennials, and Generation Z, have fundamentally changed the power dynamics between employees and employers, Randstad said. Unlike previous generations, research shows that younger people are more likely to quit their jobs if their personal beliefs do not match those of their employer.

Nearly half of both Millennials and Generation Z say they would not accept a job that does not align with their values ​​on social and environmental issues. Among the Baby Boomers, that is slightly more than a third.

The younger generations are also placing a higher priority on their happiness. More than half of Millennials and Generation Z say they would quit their job if it stopped them from enjoying life, compared to just over a third of Baby Boomers. Likewise, nearly two in four young people would rather be unemployed than unhappy in a job, compared to just a quarter of Baby Boomers.

After heaping more expectations on the shoulders of employees, employers are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the demand for talent. Despite 83 percent of workers saying flexible hours are important to them, and 71 percent saying the same about flexible work locations, half of workers worldwide feel they receive no flexibility in where they work, and two in five have no control over their working hours.

"Our findings should be a wake-up call for employers," Randstad CEO Sander van 't Noordende said. "There is a clear shift in power as people rethink their priorities, choose to prioritize their personal satisfaction, and are not afraid to quit their job if it no longer fits their needs." Companies that do not adapt and fail to take a stance on social and environmental issues will find it increasingly difficult to find and retain employees, according to the CEO.