Despite the economic uncertainty, the number of people in Belgium actively looking for another job has never been as high in the past ten years as it is now: almost one in four (22.3%) is actively looking for a job elsewhere.
Almost one in four working Belgians indicate that they are actively looking for another job – only in 2015 was this figure slightly higher, at 23%, according to an annual employee survey by Acerta Consult and Stepstone.
"Despite the economic uncertainty, employees do not cling to their current employer, but are prepared to change if things are better or even just as good elsewhere," said David Decouche, career transition expert at Acerta Consult.
In addition to the quarter of employees actively looking out for a new job, 51.8% are not actively looking, but indicated that are open to other opportunities if they come their way. Another quarter (25.9%) of employees are certain that they will stay with their employer in the near future.
Salary is not main reason
Decouche underlined that wanting to change jobs does not necessarily mean wanting to change employers. "The figure can also indicate dissatisfaction with the current job or job context, and therefore considering another job without necessarily wanting to leave the company. Some working Belgians hope to be able to fill another position with their current employer, they do not necessarily have to leave."
Still, he stressed, these figures should make companies think: "After all, they have quite a few levers in their own hands to ensure that employees stay with them."
Salary is not the main reason for employees to look for greener pastures. Employees take action first when they feel that they have few development opportunities and growth opportunities with their current employer.
After development opportunities (37%) and salary (31%), the mismatch between their own standards and values and the corporate culture (30%) is also the deciding factor to change jobs, according to the research.
Credit: Belga/ Nicolas Maeterlinck
How employers position themselves, what their vision is, their mission and their values clearly play a role in the decision of employees to stay with the company or to leave, according to Isabel Roche, Senior Market Insights Expert at Stepstone Belgium.
"Employees quickly notice when values are no more than nice words on a website. They expect that the way in which an employer profiles itself is also reflected in practice," she said. "Safety first, attention to well-being, growth opportunities... these are popular values, but they should not remain a dead letter."
"People want to continue to grow and they want to recognise themselves in their employer. That is an important lesson for companies to take away from this research."
