Worker mobility: Canada shows the sharpest increase

More Canadian workers in the second quarter expect to change jobs in the next six months, according to Randstad's quarterly Workmonitor survey.

Canada, along with Belgium, Italy and India, are the only countries showing an increase from the first to the second quarters of 2010 in the number of workers who anticipate changing jobs. Indeed, the sharpest rise was in Canada, with the strongest numbers among the 18-24 age group. "The economic rebound is creating an atmosphere of opportunity among workers, who find they want to explore emerging job opportunities and employment sectors that offer a better outlook," notes Terry Power, president of Randstad Canada.

Canadian workers: experts in work-life balance
As in many countries around the world, 55 per cent of Canadian employees indicate that their workload has increased since the start of the year. Yet 83 per cent of these employees assert that they feel they can successfully balance their work and private life. Overall, they are also satisfied with the number of days off they receive.

Striking a balance between work and private life does not always mean that employees can separate the two. Close to one-third of employees continue to receive work-related e-mails and calls during their days off.

Employee confidence among the highest in the world
More than three-quarters of Canadian employees (82 per cent) think it would be easy to find a different job with another employer. This confidence rate is among the highest worldwide. Furthermore, 68 per cent of the country's employees say they are confident they can find a similar job within a different company. As in Q1, Canadian workers feel that the risk of losing their job is rather low in the second quarter.

Workers continue to be satisfied with their employer
In Q2, the proportion of employees who say they are satisfied or very satisfied with their employer remained stable at 75 per cent. The highest proportions of satisfied workers fall in the 18-24 age group (84 per cent) and the 45-54 age group (79 per cent). Women also seem more satisfied with their employer than men, with a higher satisfaction rate of 79 per cent, compared to 71 per cent for men.

After the successful introduction of the Workmonitor in the Netherlands in 2003 and more recently in Germany, the survey now covers 25 countries around the world, encompassing Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. The Randstad Workmonitor is published four times a year, making both local and global trends in mobility regularly visible over time.

The Workmonitor's Mobility Index, which tracks worker confidence and captures expectations around the likelihood of changing employers within a six month time frame, provides a comprehensive understanding of job market sentiments and employee trends. In addition to measuring mobility, employee satisfaction, personal motivation, and a rotating set of themed questions are also part of the survey.

The quantitative study is conducted via an online questionnaire among a population aged 18-65, working a minimum of 24 hours a week in a paid job (not self-employed). The minimal sample size is 400 interviews per country, using Survey Sampling International. Research for the 2nd wave was conducted May 7-18, 2010.

To view the full report please visit www.randstad.ca.

Randstad Canada is the country's largest provider of staffing and human resource services. Randstad Canada, with more than 56 branches, establishes partnerships with major companies to match the best employees and employers in the areas of administrative support, accounting and finance, call centres and customer service, engineering, human resources, industrial support, information technology, sales and marketing, skilled trades and industrial management.