More than 80 percent of North American employees are expected to consider career changes this year. The fight to retain top talent will demand companies step up their employee engagement efforts, according to Right Management, a talent and career management workforce solutions division of Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup.
Data from a poll conducted by Right Management shows a largely dissatisfied workforce.
That sense of frustration among employees can harm their productivity, according to Right Management, and accentuates the need for organizations to open up more career development options.
“Our data should serve as a call to action for managers and leaders who want to retain their top talent,” Bram Lowsky, Right Management executive vice president and global leader of career management, said in a press release. “The improving economy brings about a renewed job confidence, which results in increased interest in career mobility. This requires employers to rethink how they motivate and challenge their employees to keep them engaged. Creating a culture of career development is critical for engaging and retaining top talent and preventing them from leaving for the competition. Individuals want to stay when they feel they have opportunities to grow, learn and advance their careers.”
The poll, which collected input from 665 American and Canadian employees online from Nov. 7 to Dec. 11, also revealed that 5 percent of employees plan to stick with their current positions in 2015. Another 8 percent are actively networking and would consider a career move this year.
“Although actual turnover rates are much lower, the desire to look for new challenges should serve as a red flag for organizations that want to retain employees,” Lowsky said. “It’s clear, organizations must improve career development options internally so they don’t lose talent.”
