According to the latest Randstad Workmonitor Survey for the second quarter, 69% of employees worldwide believe that job prospects for young people will increase in the next 5 years but only 44% expect this for workers older than 55. Respondents also said their employer seems to focus more on attracting younger workers (64%) than on attracting and retaining their older workers (44%).

The survey also showed that 60% of respondents point out that increased demand for STEM skills is a real problem for their employer and 54% see that closing the skills gap is the number one priority at their company. Older workers carry the stigma of having more trouble acquiring new skills as 68% of the respondents seem to agree. Meanwhile, 62% overall hold the opinion that the skills gap mainly lies in STEM.

The survey also showed that 56% of the respondents agree that retaining older workers is crucial for their company’s success, whereas 78% think that attracting younger people will be the crucial factor.

Randstad Netherlands has recently launched a program, which emphasises the advantages of workers who are aged 50+.

The Mobility Index, which measures the number of employees who expect to find another job within the next 6 months, remained stable at 109, for the third consecutive quarter.

Looking more in-depth, mobility has increased in some countries, compared to the last quarter, like the US, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark and Poland (all +4), Italy (+6) and Portugal (+9). The reason for the increase in Italy is expectedly due to a certain economy recovery and market flexibility as a consequence of the jobs act reform. In Portugal the economic recovery is seen as an impulse for mobility.

Mobility has decreased in Chile (-6), Mexico, Brazil and the UK (-5) and Canada (-4).

The Workmonitor also showed that 24% of the employees actually changed jobs in the last six months; higher than previous quarter (23%). The actual job change increased most in India (49%) and Malaysia (43%). In Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakia and Switzerland the job change decreased compared to last quarter. For the third quarter in a row, Luxembourg has the lowest job change (5%). 

Meanwhile the Workmonitor showed that compared to last quarter, the job appetite, which measures the desire to change jobs, increased in China, Greece, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand and Slovakia. Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Singapore and the Netherlands show a decrease in appetite compared to last quarter.

Compared to last quarter, job satisfaction decreased in Argentina, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. There are no positive shifts in job satisfaction compared to last quarter.