Number of UK workers looking to leave job rose by 13% in a year

The number of UK employees looking to stay in their current job has fallen sharply over the past 12 months, according to the latest Gartner research.

The firm’s Global Talent Monitor report found that 23% of employees indicated a low intent to stay with their current employer, a 13% increase from this time last year and ten per cent higher than the current global average (13%).

These findings indicate that the ongoing uncertainty around Brexit has had little impact on both workers’ desire for job stability or company assessments of their economic prospects.

Employees ranked work-life balance, job location and stability as their top attributes when considering an employer. The UK also reported the highest business confidence rating of all European countries surveyed at 60 – which is above the global average of 57.

“Business leaders have a lot on their plates, but the data shows that employee retention is a much bigger challenge than perhaps expected,” says Brian Kropp, Group Vice President of Gartner’s HR practice.

“Employers need to think about not just how they are attracting talent, but also how do they keep their best workers.”

“In the past, many companies wrongly assumed that a huge pay check was what mattered most to workers. Whilst being paid what employees feel is a fair amount for the work they perform is important, organisations must also consider what outside compensation matters most to employees and provide those benefits. Delivering on the whole package can increase how engaged and satisfied employees are in their current roles.”

Gartner’s Global Talent Monitor report is conducted on a quarterly basis and draws on data from more than 22,000 employees across 40 countries.