ADP Global Survey: Two-thirds of Workers Might Seek New Jobs if Forced Back to Office

Worker demands for greater flexibility and security, fueled by the pandemic and a tight labor market, are only intensifying as the global economy reopens and some companies try to entice employees back to the office, according to a survey of nearly 33,000 people conducted by payroll provider ADP.

Source: Reuters | Published on April 26, 2022

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According to the survey, two-thirds of workers would consider looking for a new job if they were forced to return to the office full time.
Workers who believe their industry is secure fell from 36% in a similar 2021 survey to 25%. The proportion of people actively looking for new jobs increased from 15% to 23%, with nearly a third considering starting a job search, up from 24% in 2021.

Half of workers said they were only somewhat or not at all satisfied with their current job, and ADP said issues that arose during the pandemic – such as hours worked and location, working unpaid time, and stress – were prompting employees to negotiate the terms of their current jobs or plan an exit.

"The pandemic has prompted a rethinking of priorities, and workers are signaling a willingness to leave if employers fail to meet their standards on a variety of fronts," according to the ADP survey.

The findings are consistent with data from the United States, which show high levels of job turnover as well as near-record vacancies as businesses struggle to recruit and retain workers.

The mismatch between the number of people looking for work and the number needed to fill vacancies is fueling high wage growth in some industries and is one of the key tensions that US Federal Reserve officials believe must be resolved in order to slow high inflation.