Employees in Switzerland: persistently high willingness to change jobs and concern about their jobs
The increasingly noticeable signs of a slowdown in the Swiss economy are causing uncertainty among employees. Almost a quarter of employees in German-speaking Switzerland are worried that they could be made redundant in 2024. This means that the fear of losing their job is significantly greater than in Germany and Austria. At the same time, a good half are prepared in principle to take up a new job in the current year - also a larger proportion than in other German-speaking countries. These are the latest figures from a representative study conducted by the jobs network Xing.
On behalf of the jobs network Xing, the market and opinion research institute forsa surveyed five hundred employees in German-speaking Switzerland at the start of the year about their professional situation and their plans for 2024. The most important results:
Willingness to switch in Switzerland remains at a high level
The willingness of employees in German-speaking Switzerland to change jobs has stabilized at a high level following last year's peak. A total of 57% of respondents can imagine changing their employer in 2024. Last year, the figure was 60 percent. Currently, 17% already have concrete plans to change and 40% are open to a change without having already taken concrete steps to do so. In an international comparison with Germany (37% willing to change jobs) and Austria (43% willing to change jobs), the Swiss respondents are significantly more open to a new job. The jobs network Xing measures the willingness to change jobs in German-speaking Switzerland at regular intervals. In the first measurement in 2019, the willingness to change jobs in Switzerland was 51%.
Sustained high level of satisfaction with current job
As in previous years, the vast majority of respondents from German-speaking Switzerland are satisfied with their current job. Specifically, 85% said they were very or fairly satisfied with their current job. The level of satisfaction has remained virtually constant since 2019 - unlike the proportion of those willing to change jobs, which has increased.
Just under a quarter are worried about their job
Just under a quarter (23%) of respondents are very or quite worried that they could be made redundant in 2024. This figure is significantly higher than in Germany (5 percent) and Austria (13 percent). Women tend to be slightly more worried than men that they could be made redundant.
Sandra Bascha, Xing Communications Manager for Switzerland, says: "The figures show uncertainty among the professionals surveyed with regard to job security. So far, however, this uncertainty does not appear to have dampened the willingness to take on a new professional challenge."
New job: More money and job security are the main criteria
At 52%, the desire for a secure job ranks just behind a higher salary (58%) as the second most important factor when choosing an employer. In third place is an attractive company location (50 percent). Flexible working hours (48%), a meaningful job (45%) and good leadership (43%) follow in second place. 29 percent state that a new employer should definitely offer a home office.
Sandra Bascha: "The fact that long-term job security is one of the most important criteria for choosing an employer is hardly surprising given the fear of being made redundant. Nevertheless, the majority are willing to give up their current job if a better one beckons. An attractive location is also much more important than the option of working from home. Whether this is the start of a renaissance of the physical office remains to be seen."
Source: www.xing.com
