Could workers be changing Rhode Island jobs?

Posted on January 20, 2014

One out of five workers may be planning on changing Rhode Island jobs, according to a recent survey from CareerBuilder.

Twenty-one percent of full-time employees plan to change jobs in 2014, the largest amount in the post-recession era and up from 17 percent in 2013, according to the survey.

Fifty-nine percent of workers are satisfied with their jobs, down from 66 percent in 2013; 18 percent are dissatisfied, up from 15 percent last year. Those who are dissatisfied cite concerns over salary (66 percent) and not feeling valued (65 percent) most often as reasons for their dissatisfaction.

Certain factors appear to make workers significantly more likely to change jobs than others:

· Workers who are dissatisfied with their job: 58 percent plan to change jobs in the New Year

· Workers who are dissatisfied with advancement opportunities at current company: 45 percent

· Workers who are dissatisfied with their work/life balance: 39 percent

· Workers who feel underemployed: 39 percent

· Workers who are highly stressed: 39 percent

· Workers who have a poor opinion of their boss’s performance: 37 percent

· Workers who feel they were overlooked for a promotion: 36 percent

· Workers who have been with their company two years or less: 35 percent(compared to 13 percent of workers who’ve been with company for 5 or more years.)

· Worker who didn’t receive a pay increase in 2013: 28 percent

“Offering frequent recognition, merit bonuses, training programs and clearly defined career paths are important ways to show workers what they mean to the company,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. “In general, however, when more workers change jobs it’s usually a sign the labor market is warming up. During the recession and in its aftermath fewer people voluntarily left jobs because the chances of finding a new or better one were low compared to a healthier economic cycle.”