Hays’ Gaelle Blake explains why workers should not be afraid to switch jobs and why now might be the best time to do it.
Anticipating when to move jobs can be a difficult decision, especially amongst headlines of a cost-of-living crisis and noise in the media about the economy.
However, the reality is that employers across the majority of industries including tech, construction, finance, HR and marketing are struggling with skills shortages and can’t attract the amount of people they need to grow.
Hays conducted a poll on LinkedIn that received more than 3,600 votes and 61pc of people said they believe now is a good time to switch jobs. If you’re on the fence about moving, or haven’t even considered it – here’s why you should:
Lots of choice and less competition
There are nearly half a million more jobs available in the market than there were pre-Covid, meaning you can be selective with who you want to work for.
On top of this, there’s much more choice in how you might work in those jobs with lots of employers offering hybrid working, flexible hours and even fully remote roles.
You’re also going to face much less competition for jobs. That’s not saying you will breeze through an interview, but the fact that there’s currently high employment, a growing number of people choosing not to work and low unemployment means employers have a smaller pool of applicants to pick from.
You’re likely to get a pay rise
As employers struggle to fill roles, many are responding by offering above-average pay increases to attract talent.
It’s not uncommon to hear of above 10pc pay rises when moving from job to job and you’ll find in some industries employers are offering signing on bonuses or additional benefits to secure staff.
If you’re not receiving the pay rise you want from your employer, it’s a good time to look elsewhere.
You are already ‘quiet quitting’
You might have heard of the phenomenon of ‘quiet quitting’ where staff are doing the bare minimum that their role requires or disengaging with their work entirely.
However, if you are feeling like this within your job – there’s often no coming back from it and it’s actually a clear signal you might need to move on.
Instead, take the time to look at what opportunities are out there, and this could help re-ignite the passion for your career and set you on the path to find a role that’s much more suited.
In fact, now is a great time for career self-reflection if you’ve just returned from a break and have that all too familiar return to work dread.
Here are some questions to ask yourself if you haven’t paused to think about what you want out of your job recently:
- Am I feeling fulfilled in my current role?
- Am I learning and growing?
- Is my pay reflective of my responsibilities?
- Are there opportunities to progress my career in my current company?
- Is my work life balance where I want it to be?
- Would I prefer a role or employer that better aligns to my values?
By Gaelle Blake
Gaelle Blake is director of Hays permanent appointments for the UK and Ireland. A version of this article previously appeared on the Hays blog.
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