While the majority of Canadian employers feel confident about the economy, 49 per cent of employees are seriously considering leaving their role, according to a new report by Hays Specialist Recruitment (Canada) Inc.
Among the reasons cited by dissatisfied employees were reduced social interaction due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (45 per cent), increased workloads (25 per cent) and a lack of well-being and mental health support, which 43 per cent of employees said were not offered by their employers during the pandemic. While 81 per cent of employee respondents rated their well-being earlier this year as “positive,” that number dropped to 64 per cent as the pandemic progressed.
When considering a new role, employees said that their top criteria were benefits (53 per cent), career development (44 per cent) and work-life balance (40 per cent).
Read: Canadian workers want vacation, benefits plans and to work from home: survey
The report also found that by province, employees were most ready to switch jobs in Quebec (54 per cent), Ontario (52 per cent), Alberta (48 per cent) and British Columbia (41 per cent).
By comparison, employer optimism was highest in Quebec and Ontario, at 77 per cent. Ahead of 2020’s fourth quarter, 55 per cent of employers surveyed said they’re back to business as usual while an additional 19 per cent are in growth mode.
In response to the pandemic, a third of employers cut staff and 71 per cent froze salaries, with expectations of recouped headcount lost over the past six months instead of team expansion. Only 19 per cent said they plan to boost pay greater than an annual cost-of-living adjustment, while a further 29 per cent confirmed that no salary increases are planned for the next year.
And in regards to the growth of remote working arrangements this year, while a third of employees said they believe their productivity increased as a result, 40 per cent of employers don’t plan to adopt remote work as a normal practice going forward.
Read: Employees favouring company culture, career progression over pay: survey