For 60% of managers, a toxic management style is the most important factor determining a career change, closely followed by a hostile work environment (58%), both being more crucial in the decision to change employers than the opportunity for a better salary (48%).
The desire for a higher salary is an essential factor in changing jobs, mainly for workers and non-management employees.
The survey shows that most unemployed individuals (39%) stay unemployed for up to six months, and the percentage decreases significantly after this period. Moreover, managers are the least likely to change employers, with 36% of them having changed jobs five years ago. The average duration of time spent at the same job is 2.5 years.
For 86% of employees participating in the survey, salary and benefits offered are the main reasons for choosing an employer, especially for non-management employees, where 90% of them chose salary and benefits as the main reason. The second most important factor, with 62%, is the balance between professional and personal life, with a more significant weight for managers at 66%.
At the same time, the work environment plays a crucial role, motivating 59% of employees in choosing an employer, being more critical than opportunities for improvement or a career plan for most participants in the study. However, managers are more motivated by opportunities for improvement and organizational culture compared to other employee categories.
For seven out of ten Romanians, a transparent management style based on trust and without pressure is the main factor increasing loyalty towards an employer, with increased importance for managers (eight out of ten). A pleasant work environment ranks second with 64%, and salary increases third with 59%. Thus, even though salary and fringe benefits are the main factors in choosing an employer during the recruitment process, they are not the primary factors that determine employees to stay at their current job. For over half of the study participants, additional benefits such as meal vouchers or subscriptions to various services, job stability, and company stability have the most significant influence on increasing loyalty towards an employer.
Similar to choosing an employer, the work-life balance (65%) and a salary increase (61%) are the main professional objectives for the next year for most respondents.
While promotion is a predominant objective among non-management employees, managers have the specific objective of participating in training, coaching, and mentoring programs. At the same time, those currently unemployed show a higher preference for a more flexible program, in addition to a balance between professional and personal life.
According to the study, only 21% of Romanian employees intend to stay in their current jobs in the next year, with the majority stating they want a career change. While there are differences between employee categories and industries, the numbers could be concerning for some employers. Some employees are open to making this change because they want a job in a different field, but most are motivated to find a better-paying job, especially since not all employers have adjusted salaries in line with inflation. As for the desired field of activity, over 40% of managers would like their new job to be in the same field as their current one, while “blue-collar” workers show the highest openness to changing fields (40% of them). Additionally, the intention to change jobs is higher (over 75%) among employees in the auto, HORECA, oil & gas, and retail industries, while the IT&C and Media & Advertising have the lowest job change rate.
The survey called “What Romanians Want from a Job” analyzes the intention of Romanian employees to change their employer in the near future, as well as their professional objectives, criteria for choosing an employer, factors influencing job change, factors that increase trust and loyalty towards an employer, and preferred ways of working. The survey was conducted online on a sample of 3,272 people aged over 18, active on the job market. Data collection took place between April and May 2023.