Belgians have proved to be increasingly loyal to their employer over the last decade, according to an analysis undertaken by HR provider Acerta that was published on Wednesday.
The average length of service is currently reaching nearly 10 years and 10 months, as against 10 years and 1.5 months in 2009. The financial sector exhibits the longest average length of service, which stands at 21 years and 9 months.
According to this analysis - based on information from more than 260,000 active workers working for more than 32,000 employers - 54% of Belgian workers had been with the same employer for more than five years in 2019. Nearly one person in three (32%) has a service record of more than 10 years.
"Periods during which there are plenty of jobs on offer, as has been the case for the last few years, cause the average length of service to decrease because each new appointee inherently does not yet have any length of service," Acerta Consult's head, Benoît Caufriez, explained. "You have the reverse effect when the outflow decreases: that causes the length of service to increase unless it is only the new recruits who are leaving."
The financial sector stands out at the area with the longest average length of service (21 years and 9 months), whereas service industries (7.5 years) and the commercial sector (7 years) occupy the lower end of the scale.
The Acerta investigation also noted the existence of a "five-year crisis" in the work context. After this period, the worker has an interest in ancillary tasks, in modifying his/her function, may get tired of it all and decide to quit the company. In-service training and internal mobility provide solutions to the problem, according to the analysis.
The Brussels Times
