More than half of managers worry about retention as career advancement stalls for many workers
When it comes to career advancement, the pandemic has not been kind to many workers – particularly younger ones, judging by recent surveys.
More than one-quarter of professionals (27 per cent) say their career has stalled since the start of the pandemic — and that number jumps to 55 per cent for those ages 18 to 24.
Workers experiencing a stalled career reported feeling stuck when it comes to:
- salary growth: 62 per cent
- career advancement: 62 per cent
- skills development: 42 per cent
- the ability to grow their professional network: 42 per cent
Retention concerns
Plus, 49 per cent of senior managers say that they postponed promoting top performers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, 61 per cent of them are worried about staff retention, find the two surveys by Robert Half.
With many employers not providing salary increases, a sizeable number of employees said they were seriously considering leaving their role, according to a separate survey.
Not surprisingly, 28 per cent of respondents say they had a shift in perspective due to the pandemic and want to pursue a more meaningful or fulfilling job, finds Robert Half.
“Along with significantly changing the hiring landscape for jobseekers in Canada, the pandemic has also interfered with employees’ career trajectories,” says David King, Canadian senior district president of Robert Half. “As we look toward the future and a more active job market, now is the time for organizations to put programs in place that are designed to retain top talent. This includes specific initiatives that will appeal to younger workers and opportunities for all employees to build skills and advance their careers.”
The surveys included responses from more than 500 workers (collected from March 26 to April 15, 2021) and 600 senior managers (collected from Nov. 19 to Dec. 18, 2020).
A high number workers cite a lack of progression and pay as major influences for wanting to leave their jobs, according to a CareerAddict survey released in 2020.
