More than half of the UK’s employees do not feel secure in their jobs.
In its annual report on the UK workplace, Putting it in Perspective, ORC International found there had been a drop in perceptions of job security across all sectors, but concerns were particularly apparent across central government organisations, suggesting the end of the ‘job for life’ culture within the Civil Service.
Results for other industry sectors, including retail and financial services, are also lower than in previous years, despite a fall in redundancy rates.
As perceptions of job security have declined, an increase in the number of employees intending to stay with their current employer is also evident.
This year 67% of employees said they intended to still work for the same organisation in 12 months’ time – an increase of 4% on 2005, with employees in retail and local government 8% more likely to stay put than those in other sectors.
Kate Pritchard, ORC International’s employee research manager, said: “There have been major changes taking place across all government departments.
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“In the private sector, mergers and acquisitions have also become commonplace. It seems that in these less certain times, employees across the jobs market are feeling less secure than in previous years and this is having an impact on the inclination of staff to leave their current roles for the uncertainty of another organisation.
“Despite this, the war for talent continues to present a challenge for HR professionals across the UK market, making it as important as ever to ensure staff are engaged.”
