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Lack of career path is top reason employees leave, Randstad survey finds

June 24, 2015

A lack of career path, not salary, is the top reason employees leave their jobs, according to Randstad’s 2015 Employer Branding Survey.

The survey found 26% of employees who left their jobs in the past 12 months cited lack of career growth opportunities as the primary reason for leaving a company, followed by low compensation at 23% and poor leadership at 19%.

The survey also found 42% of respondents use social networking sites to search for jobs. Contrary to popular belief, Facebook, not LinkedIn, is the most widely used social media tool for searching for a new job.

When asked what factor would encourage them to stay at their current companies, 48% of respondents selected work/life balance as their primary motivator, followed by competitive salary at 34%.

Millennials scored 10 percentage points higher, 34%, than the average of 24% when asked if lack of interest in their current jobs was a factor when considering changing jobs.

Jim Link, chief HR officer, Randstad North America, said employers currently have a huge opportunity to strengthen their retention strategies by implementing more structured, personalized career paths for employees and especially for millennials.

“Transparent communication about how employees’ contributions impact their career opportunities is especially important to millennials, because these individuals clearly want to know they are contributing to the company’s bottom line and core business goals,” Link said. “A little attention spent on defining career growth can go a long way for employers who want to keep their best talent on board for the longer term.”

Randstad’s Employer Branding survey is based on perceived attractiveness of companies among 10,878 potential employees between the ages of 18 and 65. Interviews were conducted online by ICMA Group on behalf of Randstad between September and December 2014.