More than three quarters of professional employees are actively job hunting as 2025 gets underway.
This is in spite of a drop in confidence in labour market opportunities.
Research shows that 76 percent of UK professionals will be looking for a new job in 2025, but only 48 percent are confident about the jobs on offer in their sector.
The results, from Robert Walters’ Salary Survey, also show 38 percent of employees are not confident about starting the new year with their current employer. Survey researchers said inflation, the continued cost-of-living pressures and tax increases are “just a fraction of the factors leading to increased anxiety in the market this year”.
Chris Eldridge, CEO of Robert Walters UK & Ireland, said: “Employers should take note that professionals are actively pursuing new job opportunities despite their confidence in the market being low.
“The new year has introduced a new wave of economic pressures for professionals – and it’s clear if they don’t feel confident enough with their current employer, they’ll respond with their feet.
“For employers, this trend presents something of a double-edged sword. Those who remain agile will give themselves the opportunity to attract top talent away from their market competition. Whilst companies who fail to pivot their operations run the risk of losing key players in their teams.”
Research published by the recruitment firm at the end of last year found that 45 percent of UK professionals would not be getting bonuses even though 44 percent believed that they were ‘firmly on track’ to receive one at the end of 2024.
Further research shows that 46 percent of professionals are concerned about their current employers’ ability to retain employees this year, while 30 percent were worried about their company’s ability to attract new talent.
Just 27 percent of professional employees said they feel confident about their company’s projected growth for the year ahead.
Eldridge said: “Salaries being stretched further due to living costs, annual bonuses either lacking or non-existent and a slew of external factors such as policy changes, high interest rates, inflation and continued economic instability have dealt blow-after-blow to business confidence going into the new year.
“This places a real threat on the employee-employer relationship. Highlighting an imminent need for employers to be doing more to ensure employee confidence in their operations doesn’t decrease and result in driving out top talent.”
