ManpowerGroup’s Inaugural Global Talent Barometer: One in three UK employees plan to change jobs in the next six months

• 8 in 10 British Workers Feel The Work They Do Has Meaning
• A Third Say Not Enough Opportunities For Promotion    
• A fifth of workers report high stress; 75% plan to leave their jobs   

LONDON, UK (November 12, 2024) – ManpowerGroup today releases its Global Talent Barometer, a robust new report offering unparalleled insights into workforce sentiment across 16 countries worldwide, with data from over 12,000 workers (more than 1,000 in the UK). The report asks workers series of questions to measure job satisfaction, wellbeing, and confidence.

The UK’s Global Talent Barometer reveals 80% of workers report they feel the work they do has meaning and purpose, with 72% feeling aligned with the vision and values of their organisation, and 69% report feeling properly supported with their work-life balance and personal well-being. Despite this, one third of UK employees feel there are not sufficient opportunities for promotion or movement within their organisation to achieve their career goals, and 34% plan to look for a new job within the next six months.

“Employees overwhelmingly report that their work has meaning. They feel supported by their employers and believe in their values.” said Petra Tagg, Director at ManpowerGroup UK. “However, it’s clear that this isn’t enough to retain skilled workers. 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.”

This comes at a time when businesses have put the brakes on their hiring plans as they prepare to manage the expected increased cost of labour associated with the new government’s Employment Rights Bill, alongside uncertainty over the financial impact of spending decisions from the recent Budget.           

Tagg continues: “We know the UK employment market is struggling through a hiring recession and businesses continue to report record difficulty in finding candidates with the skills they need, making retaining skilled workers essential. It’s clear that any effective retention strategy must provide opportunities for employees to develop in their roles if they want to avoid a challenging and costly recruitment process.”

Despite the Global Talent Barometer generally showing high levels of workplace wellbeing, the report finds nearly a fifth (19%) of the UK workforce are highly-stressed at work, with 75% reporting they are likely to change jobs in the next six months.

Tagg explains: “We all know that stress is often a part of life, but the proportion of workers reporting high stress levels is concerning. The most dedicated employees can often be the most stressed, and our Global Talent Barometer shows employers who do not take the vital steps to support their employees to manage stress can expect an exodus of skilled talent.

“Going into the new year, employers must prioritise fostering opportunities for employees to develop, move, and advance in their roles to retain their skilled talent. Scheduling career check-ins, providing development goals alongside traditional performance metrics, and working collaboratively to build career progression plans with tangible outcomes can make a huge difference.”

MANPOWERGROUP GLOBAL TALENT BAROMETER KEY UK FINDINGS

Employee wellbeing, job satisfaction and confidence 

• 80% of British employees believe their work has meaning and purpose. Three quarters (76%) of full-time employees feel supported by their organisation to have a healthy work-life balance. But half the workforce (48%) experience stress every day.
• More than half (58%) say they have not received any skills training in the past six months.
• One in four employees feel at risk of unemployment in the next six months. One in four (24%) believe they are likely to be forced to leave their current job in the next six months. A similar number (25%) are not confident they could find another job that met their needs in the next six months.

By Industry

• The highest levels of daily stress at work are reported by employees in IT (64%), Finance and Real Estate (63%), and Healthcare and Life Sciences (61%). These sectors also match the UK’s overall score for job satisfaction (66%) with employees in Healthcare and Life Sciences reporting the greatest job satisfaction (69% – which is matched only by employees working in Industrials and Materials).          
• Those working in Transport, Logistics and Automotive are least likely to report daily stress (43%) with the sector also scoring highest for overall wellbeing (71%) and most satisfied with current salaries (63%).   
• Employees working in Energy and Utilities are least satisfied with their current salaries (30%). 

By employment type

• Self-employed workers are the least confident they have the skills to do their job properly – 76% in contrast with 90+% for all other employment types, asides from job hunter (79%)
• Office workers report a higher sense of purpose than remote workers
• 60% of remote workers are likely to change jobs despite higher well-being and work-life balance

The Global Talent Barometer introduces new metrics, including the Well-Being Index, Job Satisfaction Index, and Confidence Index, providing a holistic view of workforce sentiment globally. These innovative indices offer employers unprecedented tools to measure and understand employee sentiment, enabling more effective strategies for talent management and workplace improvement.

To view the complete results of the 2024 Barometer, visit:

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GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Mexico stands out with 89% of workers finding high levels of meaning and purpose in their work, while The Netherlands leads in overall workforce well-being at 73%.
• Singapore’s workforce exhibits a unique duality: they show one of the highest likelihoods of changing jobs in the next six months (41% low job satisfaction) while simultaneously expressing the strongest confidence in their current skills to secure new roles (72%).
• Nordic countries Norway and Sweden demonstrate strong job security, with 80% and 71% of workers respectively feeling secure in their positions for the next six months. However, these nations also face challenges, with fewer perceived opportunities for development and promotion (48% in Norway and 53% in Sweden), and lower trust in managers (57% in Norway and 57% in Sweden).
• France records one of the lowest Well-Being Index scores at 61%, suggesting significant challenges in work-life balance and job satisfaction.
• The United States displays robust overall sentiment, achieving a Confidence Index of 79%, with 73% of workers feeling secure in their jobs over the next six months.

ABOUT THE GLOBAL TALENT BAROMETER

The ManpowerGroup Global Talent Barometer measures worker well-being, job satisfaction, and confidence. around the world. Data was gathered from over 12,000 employees between April 15 and May 10, 2024. The Talent Barometer leverages independent survey best-practices and statistically significant samples to create a powerful tool to better understand what workers want globally. The research aims to improve the future of work through deeper understanding of key drivers of workforce sentiment today.

METHODOLOGY

Survey responses were collected from 12,062 workers across 16 countries from April 15 to May 10, 2024. All the data is weighted to match the worker population in each country by gender, age and region, and all countries are weighted to be equal.

COUNTRIES SURVEYED

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

ABOUT MANPOWERGROUP
ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing, and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis, and Talent Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 70 countries and territories and has done so for more than 75 years. We are recognized consistently for our diversity – as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality, and Disability, and in 2024 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 15th time – all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent.

For more information, visit www.manpowergroup.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding labor demand in certain regions, countries and industries, as well as economic uncertainty. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, due to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These factors include those found in the Company’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the information under the heading “Risk Factors” in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, whose information is incorporated herein by reference. ManpowerGroup disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking or other statements in this release, except as required by law.

—ENDS— 

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