Lifelong learning is considered essential to increase employability and avoid unemployment, according to Randstad’s second-quarter Workmonitor survey released today.

Globally, 86% of respondents said they need to keep learning in order to retain and increase employability. The percentages ranged from 97% in Mexico to only 39% of the respondents in Sweden; in the US, 89% agreed with the premise.

The report also found 42% globally would accept a lower salary or demotion in order to remain employed — including 62% of US respondents — and 80% would accept a temporary contract in order to avoid unemployment, or 84% in the US.

Other key insights on this report include:

• 88% of the respondents say that unemployed people must be retrained to fill empty positions due to labor scarcity and 89% would be willing to be retrained themselves to avoid unemployment.
• 51% are willing to actually emigrate for a job that’s not available in their country.
• 73% think that a so-called “job-for-life” has become extinct.

The survey addresses other concerns as well.

Mobility index down to 109: Fewer employees worldwide expect to be employed elsewhere in the coming six months than they did in the previous quarter, so the Mobility Index decreased to 109 from 110. The index fell to 116 from 123 in the US but rose to 109 from 107 in Canada and remained at 125 in Mexico.

Job satisfaction highest in India and Mexico: Compared to last quarter, job satisfaction was highest in India and Mexico, both with 82% “very satisfied.” Job satisfaction increased in China, Sweden and Germany but decreased in Hungary, Japan, Portugal, Switzerland as well as the US, where 78% were “very satisfied.”

Appetite to change jobs highest in India: Compared to last quarter, the job change appetite — i.e., the desire to change jobs — increased in Brazil, Czech Republic and Norway. Meanwhile, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands show a decrease in appetite compared to previous quarter. In the US, 7% reported they were actively looking for jobs.

Actual job change stable: Actual job change remained stable at 23%, with the highest reported in Malaysia and India. The actual job change increased in Brazil, Poland, Spain and Turkey compared to last quarter. Although still the highest, the actual job change decreased in India, and also in Hong Kong, compared to last quarter.  

The Randstad Workmonitor covers 33 countries around the world. The second-quarter study was conducted online from April 20 to May 8, 2017. The minimum sample size is 400 interviews per country.