More than half of workers surveyed pointed to external factors and a “fear of the unknown” as holding back their professional growth, cited by 52% and 51%, respectively.
“With the profound shifts reshaping the global workforce, the importance of leadership, skills training and opportunities for internal mobility cannot be overstated,” Gaëlle de la Fosse, president of LHH, said in a press release. “Our latest Global Workforce of the Future Report shows that employee satisfaction and retention is closely related to how a company builds a culture that fosters career growth and invests in skills development.”
Additional findings from the report include:
Workers eager for new skills. Global uncertainty is causing workers to remain in their current roles longer, but this should not be mistaken for complete satisfaction. Respondents cited barriers such as economic climate, 23%; age, 22%; and limited opportunities within their own industries, 20%. Due to these conditions, nearly 73% of workers plan to stay in their jobs in 2024.
Investing in the workforce is key. Top talent remains a flight risk despite the ups and downs of the economic climate and other external factors. In fact, 86% of workers are now confident that they could find a new job within six months, up from 61% in 2022.
Furthermore, workers reported they are especially optimistic about a tech-enabled future and their outlook on digitalization, with 65% of workers feeling that it will have a positive impact on their jobs, up from 37% in 2022.
The passive talent pool and the call for training. Worker uneasiness has created a significant pool of “passive talent” who are eager for new skills and opportunities but are fearful to make a move. The report also highlighted that 64% of employees agree that businesses should upskill and train employees for roles across the company before hiring externally.
On the flip side, 50% of workers said they see their employers as “owning the obligation” to ready them for new workplace realities. With workforces and workplaces changing amid shifts in AI and digitalization, the report advises businesses to recruit, retain and nurture talent that will change with them.
The Adecco Group, in collaboration with LHH, surveyed more than 30,000 workers from 23 countries and 25 industries for the Global Workforce of the Future Report 2024.
Original Article: StaffingIndustry
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