
The Great Resignation: Why a Quarter of UK Workers Are Planning a Job Change?
The Great Resignation or the Big Quit - the ongoing trend of employees voluntarily leaving their jobs - has seen nearly two million UK adults leave their jobs since the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to research by Randstad UK, 24 per cent of all workers are actively planning to change employment, prompted by a high number of vacancies and burnout.
In addition, almost 70 per cent of all workers felt confident about moving to a new role within the next few months. For comparison, Randstad UK normally expects only up to 11 per cent of workers to move jobs every year.
The emerging situation is even more discernible in the US, where more than 4.3 million Americans left their jobs in August 2021 – equivalent to 2.9 per cent of the national workforce – the highest number on record.
Based on the new industry research from Unum, with record levels of open job vacancies, SMEs are particularly at risk of losing talent as there tends to be less focus on employee benefits and wellbeing, often due to budget or staffing concerns. Around one-third of SMEs have no plans to introduce changes to their benefits packages, leaving them vulnerable to disengaged employees.
On the other hand, employees are now placing more value on their work-life balance, flexibility, and passion for the role, rather than solely remuneration or bonuses. As more communications and marketing professionals started reflecting and rethinking their current and future opportunities, promoted by reasons such as changing working conditions and personal circumstances, the priorities shifted.
According to Antho