The proportion of workers in Belgium wanting to change employers has peaked to the highest level since 2022.
Today, two-thirds of Belgian workers (64%) say the would like to find new challenges elsewhere, according to HR service provider Acerta Consult and job search website Stepstone on Monday.
Out of the surveyed 2,700 people, only 36% are not thinking about finding a new job in the coming year. Sixty-four per cent responded yes, the highest rate since 2022, when 65% were considering changing employers.
Zooming in on the details reveals some interesting labour market dynamics. Nearly half (44%) want to change sector altogether, whereas 26% want a different role, while 18% want to keep a similar role and 5% are considering changing their status from employee to self-employed.
Four out of ten respondents who want to change employers believe it will take them months to find the right job – up from 33% in last year's survey. Only 28% believe they will be able to find a new job within a few weeks, compared to 32% last year.
Age plays a part in these figures. Among people in their twenties, no less than 80% are convinced that they will be able to find a similar job within a few weeks to months. Among those in their thirties, the figure is still 75%.
In the older age groups, confidence is declining, to 61% for those in their 40s and 58% for those in their 50s. In the group of over-60s, 55% believe that a quick job change is feasible.
These results demonstrate the current sluggishness of the job market, with fewer respondents reporting that they are regularly approached by recruiters.
Maria Ferritto, an expert at Acerta Consult, also points out that “it is still easier to change jobs than to find work if you don't have one (yet)”.
Another finding of the study is that 28% of respondents under the age of 30 say they intend to stay with their current employer throughout their career. "The 28% figure is certainly a minority, but it is higher than one might expect," adds Ferritto.
Britt Winnepenninckx, talent expert at Acerta Consult believes employers should not only profile themselves as interesting employers, they should also work on their internal career policy. "After all, there may be more opportunities for employees to take on and learn new things at their current employer."
According to the report, companies are luring applicants with added trips or a bonus – even helicopter flights in some cases – before they are hired. The fact that companies are going ever further to recruit new staff gives Belgians a confidence boost.
Not surprisingly, the sector in which employees are most confident is the health sector: 80% of health care employees think they can start working for another employer in a similar job within a few months. Also in the top five: transport/logistics (72%), ICT (71%), engineering, production & construction (70%).
