Nearly one in three workers in the UK intends to switch jobs within the next six months, according to the latest report from ManpowerGroup. This sentiment comes despite strong feelings of purpose in their respected roles, with 80% of UK employees stating their work feels meaningful. The report highlights that while many employees feel aligned with their organisation’s goals and values (72%) and supported in terms of work-life balance and well-being (69%), other factors are still causing dissatisfaction.
One key factor behind this restlessness is daily stress, with 48% of employees saying they feel stressed every day. The highest stress levels were mainly seen in sectors like IT (64%), finance and real estate (63%), and healthcare and life sciences (61%). On the other hand, those in the transport, logistics, and automotive industries were less stressed (43%) and reported stronger well-being (71%) and salary satisfaction (63%).
Salary satisfaction also differs across industries, with energy and utilities employees being the least content with their pay, as only 30% said their salary met their expectations.
Regarding skills development, although nearly all employees (over 90%) expressed confidence in their skills, this was lower among self-employed workers, with just 76% feeling confident in their abilities. Access to skills training played a major role in employee satisfaction and likelihood to stay; 58% of surveyed workers said they had not received any skills training in the past six months.
“Employers who do not provide clear paths for development and advancement in-role should expect their skilled talent to look for opportunities elsewhere, and our Talent Barometer shows this isn’t a small number of workers,” said Petra Tagg, director at ManpowerGroup UK.
Additionally, job security plays a big role for UK workers, with 25% fearing potential unemployment within the next six months and 24% worried about needing to leave their jobs. Internationally, the report found that employees in Mexico feel the highest level of purpose (89%), while workers in the Netherlands report the highest levels of well-being (73%).
On the other hand, French workers showed one of the lowest well-being scores at 61%, showing high concerns about work-life balance and job satisfaction.