One in Two Kiwis Seeking New Opportunities

MEDIA RELEASE
16th May 2012

One in Two Kiwis Seeking New Opportunities

One in two Kiwis are contemplating a career change in the next six months, reveals a survey released by seek.co.nz today.

SEEK, New Zealand’s largest job source, ran the survey to uncover jobseeking intentions of the New Zealand public and results show that we’re a nation on the move, with 52% currently searching or planning to look for a new job in the near future.

SEEK New Zealand General Manager, Janet Faulding says intent to find a new role and the current rise in the number of new jobs advertised go hand-in-hand;

“New job listings are up 8% compared to this time last year and this hasn’t gone unnoticed by Kiwis. Many workers may have stayed put for the last few years, holding onto the security of existing jobs and a steady pay packet, but we’re now seeing jobseeker confidence to look for a new opportunity return as demand grows,” she says.

With one in two Kiwis considering a career change in the next six months, employers should focus on how they can retain staff;

“Employees that feel valued are more likely to stay put, so take the time to find out what makes your staff happy and put plans in place to action these. Thanking staff for their work and acknowledging achievements will go a long way to making people feel appreciated,” adds Ms Faulding.

The survey also revealed that a significant 38% of Kiwis said a pay rise was the number one reason they would stay put in their current role, followed by 18% who said they would be motivated to stay if they received greater recognition for their work. Non-monetary perks, such as flexible hours and training opportunities, also scored highly at 17%.

“The prospect of better pay is unlikely to keep employees content in the long term and, if budgets can’t stretch to pay rises, there are raft of things employers can do to keep employees happy. Expressing the desire to help employees’ career progression through training and development can be a stronger show of faith than a higher salary alone,” Ms Faulding concludes.

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