HR News: Flexibility rather than salary biggest draw for jobseekers

An extract from another interesting article from the team at "HR News". Click on the link to find our more or register for their regular updates:  

http://hrnews.co.uk/flexibility-rather-than-salary-biggest-draw-for-jobseekers-research-suggests/

The survey was carried out amongst the UK public and asked the question, “What would most likely attract you to a new job”.

Potential candidates were able to pick one option, with Working Hours/ Flexibility gaining a leading 37.8% overall share of the vote.

In second was base salary, which gathered 27.7% of the vote.

Interesting findings amongst the results, which can be seen in full here, showing a discrepancy amongst genders. Amongst males the difference in the vote was only 1.7% (28.3% Flexibility vs 26.6% Salary).

This widens when looking at results from female respondents, which was a significant gap of 19.5% of the vote between the top two answers (47.3% Flexibility v 28.8% Salary).

Glu Recruit owner Rob Shaw reflects “The research clearly shows that flexibility is a key indicator for job seekers in the current market. We have seen a shift in office culture in recent years, with many employers now embracing flexible working in order to attract the best candidates for the role.

“With employee retention becoming a top priority, it is becoming essential for employers to embrace the changing requirements of their workforce in a positive manner.”
The implications for employers could be significant, especially when they consider factors such as office culture and job specifications. The research seems to suggest that ones tailored around flexibility will receive a better response than those tailored around benefits and salary.

It is especially interesting when considering the comments from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation in 2018, who stated that “Recruiters report that some of this high vacancy rate may be driven by good demand from companies not being matched by candidate willingness to move”.