Survey: 76% of retail workers looking for career change
A majority of workers – and especially those in retail – are looking to make a career change.
Fifty-five percent of job candidates are looking to make a career or industry switch this year, according to a new report from talent assessment platform Criteria. This figure jumps to 76% for those in the retail field, marking the highest category where workers are looking for a change. Construction (61%), healthcare (57%) and professional services (57%) are not far behind.
When asked what the biggest challenges when searching for a job across all labor categories were, competition being too high (45%) was the top reason. This figure (45%) stayed the same for those in the retail field. Job descriptions having unreasonable requirements (30%) and not enough relevant jobs to apply for (30%) were the next most common challenges for all workers.
[READ MORE: Workers retiring, insufficient training to put pressure on retail workforce]
Another challenge that job seekers have faced in the hiring process is “ghosting,” or being ignored by a recruiter. Nearly half (48%) of job candidates report being ghosted in the last year during the job search process. This is an increase from last year, when 38% of job candidates reported being ghosted.
When asked what they want from a new employer, candidates crave more opportunities for career advancement above all else. Compared to last year’s Criteria survey, only two priorities swapped places: better compensation rose to the second position, just above better work-life balance. Better work culture, more sense of purpose, better manager/team, and better benefits were also key desires from job seekers. Nearly half (48%) of those surveyed said they have left a job due to bad management in the past.
Additional insights from the survey include the following:
- Two-thirds of job seekers look into the financial health of a company before accepting a position.
- 57% of job seekers would rather work for a bigger company, while 43% say they’d prefer to work for a smaller company. Younger job seekers were more likely to prefer bigger companies compared to older job seekers.
- The “sweet spot” to stay at a job is around three to five years, but 19% say between six and 10 years is better, while more than a quarter of job seekers (28%) say they’d prefer to stay for more than 10 years. Compared to last year, the preference has shifted slightly to longer tenure.
- 26% of job candidates actually prefer to apply for a job on a mobile device, while 74% still prefer to use a desktop or laptop computer.
