Why New Zealanders look for a new job

28 August 2006

Why New Zealanders look for a new job

Seeking new challenges is the main reason New Zealanders decide to change jobs, according to research conducted by specialist recruiter Hays. 36.97 per cent of respondents selected this reason above lack of career progression, poor management and salary as their most common reason for leaving their current employer.

The ten most common reasons given, in order of importance, were:

1. Seeking new challenges
2. Lack of career progression
3. Poor Management
4. Salary
5. Lack of training or development opportunities
6. Seeking to specialise in a particular field
7. Travel time too great
8. Poor work/life balance
9. Office politics
10. Too much stress

“In a candidate-tight market retention is more important than ever,” said Jason Walker, General Manager of Hays New Zealand. “By identifying the common reasons people decide to look for a new job, businesses can focus on preventative strategies to work towards keeping their existing talent.

“As our survey shows, a big part of this is giving staff room to grow through the provision of new challenges as many candidates surveyed said they felt stale or bored in their current job and felt they were not going anywhere in their role. Linked to this is the importance of ensuring an employees’ career is developing within the business.

“Unsurprisingly, salary was a high factor although this survey makes it clear salary is not the main motivating factor for candidates seeking to change roles.”

“Certain sector-specific reasons for leaving a current employer also emerged. For example, in the IT sector technically challenging roles were the key priority, followed by lack of career development, salary then training,” Jason said.

When looking for their next job, respondents rated the company’s vision, values and culture as their most important consideration. The ten most important considerations given, in order of importance, were:

1. The company's vision, values and culture
2. Job security
3. Project-based learning or formal training
4. Work/life balance
5. Engagement with the work undertaken
6. Salary
7. Hours of work
8. Closeness to where you live
9. Benefits
10. Holiday allocation

“This result demonstrates the importance of maintaining a strong employment brand to communicate to potential employees exactly what it is like to work at your company and what your company stands for,” said Jason.

“An employment brand sets out who the company is, what is expected from employees and what employees receive from working for the company. It reveals the culture of the company, their ambitions and what they offer that employees value.

“Like any consumer brand, an employment brand communicates your identity as a company to others. It isn’t just a statement you adopt because you think it sounds good; it’s the essence of what your company stands for, which is clearly something potential employees want to know.

“The power of communicating your culture, vision and values is that your company will come to mind first to those candidates that are aligned with your beliefs – and so are likely to remain with your company longer.

“When an engineer considers future employers, a certain firm instantaneously comes to mind. When an accountant seeks a move, certain companies are approached before others. This is the power of employment branding and communicating your vision, values and culture, and it is a major differentiator in the recruitment marketplace.”

449 candidates were surveyed.

Hays is New Zealand’s leading specialist recruitment consultancy, with offices in Auckland, South Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington to service local employers and job seekers.

See www.hays-hps.co.nz or call:
Auckland: 09 377 4774
South Auckland: 09 525 1333
Christchurch: 03 377 6656
Wellington: 04 473 6860

ENDS

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