NEW YORK–Credit union leaders (and CU boards) can’t rest up when it comes to retaining employees, as a new survey has found most Americans say they expect to look for a new job as the pandemic continues—with “flexibility” the job attribute with the most appeal.
Some 55% of people currently working or actively looking for employment said they are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, according to Bankrate's August jobseeker survey. YouGov Plc conducted the survey of 2,452 adults for Bankrate from July 28 to July 30.
"There have been a lot of epiphanies and reckonings that have occurred during the time with respect with how we're prioritizing ultimately our values, and of course how work fits into that,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.
The data is being released at the same time job openings have surged to an all-time high of 10.1 million at the end of June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (the data lags the unemployment report by one month.)
Separations also edged up to 5.6 million, and the quit rate was 2.7%, just below the April high of 2.8%, noted Bankrate.
Trend Seen Across the Board
Why are people looking to leave jobs? While there are numerous reasons, “flexible” working conditions are top of mind for job seekers, the survey found.
According to Bankrate.com, 56 % of those surveyed said that flexibility was their primary reason to look for a new job, topping higher pay and job security. The trend was the same even for the lowest-paid workers — 52% of those making $30,000 or less still put flexibility as their top reason to look for a new job, over higher pay, Bankrate added.
"If there ever were a time for someone to be in a position to make a reasonable request of their employers, this would be the time," said Hamrick.