Job Market Insight for Recruitment Agencies

A report published in 2013 by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), using information from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), may provide some insight. It was called Megatrends: Has Job Turnover Slowed Down? The report revealed that the length of time employees in the UK are spending in each job may be increasing. The report compared figures from 2001, when average tenure for females was 6.8 years and males about 8.5 years, to 2011, when on average females stayed in the same job for 7.9 years and males more than 9 years.  

The report also noted that the number of resignations has also fallen significantly. In 1998 approximately 3.1 % of those in employment left their jobs voluntarily, a figure that had dropped to 1.4% by 2011, with a slight rise to 1.6% in 2012.

Despite these trends, according to 2011 data, the UK still has one of the shortest average job tenures in Europe, behind only Denmark. It seems marketing recruitment agencies have a long way to go before they need to worry.

Why Is Average Job Turnover Decreasing?

There are a number of possible explanations, but the CIPD points to the financial crash and the resulting worries employees are experiencing regarding their ability to easily secure another job.

Research carried out by XpertHR found that resignation within the public sector typically stands at a rate about 3% lower than that of the private sector. Public-sector employment saw a slight increase during the recession — a factor which in theory could cause rates to drop further. However, after the coalition government came to power, public-sector jobs have decreased in number — possibly the reason behind the 0.2% increase in voluntary resignations in 2012.

Rates of voluntary redundancy may also have been driven down by employment legislation changes. These have made achieving the balance between family and work easier. The changes, including increased paternity and maternity leave and a rise in the National Minimum Wage, appear to have reduced the number of employees in low-paid roles who move from job to job.

The recession has had a particularly strong impact on the rates of job turnover in the last few years. In addition, wider conditions within the market, as well as job security and job satisfaction, have affected it also.