REED finds that more people love their work, and have more confidence in what they can get from the jobs market
- More people feel secure in their jobs
- Pay rises jump by 4.2% across the board
- Employee benefits packages experience sharp rises
- Newcomers to job market overcoming negative headlines of last few years
With New Year's Day behind us, another well-known and somewhat infamous occasion is approaching, leading many to question their jobs and the market as a whole. Luckily, the UK's leading provider of recruitment solutions has discovered that these factors are becoming less of a worry among those in - or searching for - employment as we move into 2013.
Blue Monday - the contentious and oft-criticised "most depressing day of the year" for British workers - is being undermined by data from REED's 2013 Salary and Market Insight Report, and will undoubtedly bolster the confidence of jobseekers and employees alike. The company has produced an accompanying graphic resource to show the positive trends in the job market, which affect countless people across the UK.
The research, carried out towards the end of 2012, shows there to be an impressive market for jobseekers to find a fulfilling job in. Over three in every four people already in employment (76%) are 'very satisfied', 'satisfied' or 'neutral' about their position at the start of 2013.
Job security has also contributed to the comfort that people have in their line of work; it is this sense of security that is giving workers the confidence to look for a new role. More people feel safer in their jobs than at the end of 2011; 28.4% felt 'unsecure' or 'very unsecure' at the end of 2011, a figure that has since dropped to 25.8% ahead of 2013.
Interestingly, people still looking for jobs have a number of things to look forward to as standard in their roles as a number of employee benefits are rising in value and frequency across the board, with pay rises, entertainment budgets and bonuses rising. These include:
- 84.6% of business owners feel 'secure' or 'very secure' in their jobs ahead of 2013;
- Finance, technology, education and public sector jobs are most popular with people looking for a brand new career;
- Bonuses rose by 6.2%, with financial and insurance positions benefiting most from this trend;
- The public sector was much more of a success story among employees in 2012 than the previous year; it provided greater feelings of security for workers (from 47% feeling safe in 2011 to 63% in 2012), while staff entertainment budgets rose for 36.8% of workers (from 4% of budgets rising in 2011 to 45.2% in 2012)
You can find these statistics, and many more, on the survey infographic here.
Commenting on the findings, Tom Lovell, group managing director at REED, said: "After years of negative news regarding the fortunes of employers and employees alike, it's good to see that things are improving for those in the working world - and across so many levels, too.
"While it's easy to say that Blue Monday is a somewhat questionable creation that became part of public consciousness a few years ago, it's understandable that people will still associate with it - after all, it comes at a time where people are trying to put their lives on the right track, and may be regularly reminded of the things they want to change along the way.
"However, finding or staying in employment seems to be less of a concern for people now - and every day, we here at REED work to ensure that even when a new job or change of career is needed, it's as enjoyable and well-suited to each individual that comes to us for our industry-leading support."
A total of 1500 employees and employers took part in the survey.
