A survey from CareerBuilder shows employees are split on how they feel about their current job: 50% feel like they have a career while the remaining 50% feel like they have just a job, and 32% of employees plan to change jobs this year. 

Employers are struggling to navigate tight labor pools due to the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. CareerBuilder helps businesses find and hire top talent by streamlining the entire hiring process and recently conducted this survey to gain insights to both newly hired and tenured employees’ expectations for how they want to be treated throughout the entire employment journey. 

The national surveys, which were conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from December 20, 2018, to January 16, 2019, included representative samples of 1,021 hiring managers and human resource managers and 1,010 full-time U.S. workers across industries and company sizes in the private sector.

"We are pleased to see prospects remain strong for job seekers,” said Irina Novoselsky, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Job candidates are in the driver’s seat and are considering much more than salary when applying for jobs. Benefits, location and commute time are increasingly important factors. To attract and retain talent, hiring managers will need to meet workers’ hiring, onboarding, and career expectations and provide the perks, work-life balance and career advancement opportunities they demand.”

Key Findings

The survey reveals the following insights to why employees left their last job, and what they find most important when considering whether to apply for and stay at a job.

Many employees want to get ahead in their career but aren’t offered educational opportunities to learn the skills needed to do so. Only 32% of employees are satisfied with the opportunities for career advancement and just 37% are satisfied with the training and learning opportunities at their current company, and the majority (58%) think their company does not offer enough opportunities to learn new skills and help them move up in their career. If offered, 73% of employees whose companies do not currently offer educational opportunities or workshops outside of work hours say they would be likely to participate if they were available.

To fill vacant roles, an increasing number of companies are training workers who may not have the skills needed but do have the potential for higher-skill jobs. Fifty-six percent of employers have paid for employees to get skills-based training or continued education outside the office so they can move up to a higher-skill job within their organization, and a growing number of companies will need to invest in training as they revamp their offerings to compete for talent.

The job seeker experience is paramount. CareerBuilder’s platform shows more than 70% of their consumer audience is on mobile devices, and employees say an application that is difficult or confusing to complete (42%), or one that takes too long to complete (31%), would cause them to give up before submitting. In the midst of a mobile-first and on-demand world, employers have to meet candidates where they are. AI-driven mobile capabilities can bring a richer, more intuitive experience and match companies and qualified talent more effectively. 

Benefits and convenience may be more important than compensation. Fifteen percent of employees say low compensation or lack of benefits are among the top reasons they left their last job. Employees shared that other than salary, benefits (75%) and commute time (59%) are the most important factors they consider when applying to a job. When asked about extra perks, 42% of employees say half-day Fridays would make them more willing to join or stay at a company. On-site fitness centers (23%) and award trips (21%) are also important to job seekers.

 Job-hopping is on the rise. More than one-quarter of employees (29%) say they regularly search for jobs while employed, and 78% say that even though they are not actively looking for a new role, they would be open if the right opportunity came along. Low unemployment and high demand for talent is feeding a recruiting environment where job seekers and new employees are in control. Fifty-one percent report they’ve looked for other jobs even when an offer has been extended and the background check is in process and 67% of employers report almost a quarter of new hires not showing up after accepting a position.