Are you keeping an eye on the job ads? Keeping a look out for that one job that tweaks your interest? Yes? Well you are in good company. It seems that the majority of engineers are constantly keeping an eye out for that one special job.
According to the
2007 salary survey, conducted by
Electronics Weekly and sponsored by recruitment consultant John Prodger Recruitment, 58 per cent of people in the electronics industry are ‘keeping an eye on the jobs market’. These individuals are expected to change employers within the next two and a half years.
Those actively seeking other employment make up 11 per cent and will typically move employer within a year. Just under a third seem happy with their jobs but will still, on average, move employer within five years.
Generally though, engineers seem a pretty loyal lot with 35 per cent having been with the same employer for ten years or more. On average engineers last changed job 7.25 years ago.
But what drives engineers to look elsewhere?
Nearly half were looking for career progression or just a better job. Redundancy accounted for just under a quarter of changes. Poor potential for career progression, and poor pay and conditions each pooled a fifth of respondents.
Poor job security and unstable organisations each prompted around 15 per cent to move - possibly, if people had not moved from these organisations the redundancy figure would have been higher.
Lack of recognition for a job well done is a constant bugbear, and uninteresting work and a lack of new challenges still rate a mention. Some want more responsibility - although they may come to regret that when they actually get it.
Poor support and advice from senior personnel and inadequate resources also figure.
Unsurprisingly then the top reason, cited by over half, for joining the current employer is a fresh challenge. Close on its heels is better long term prospects (44 per cent) and a higher salary is still quoted by 39 per cent.
But creeping in to the statistics are the work/life balance reasons which are becoming more prominent.
“We are seeing an increasing number of offers accepted or rejected for work/life balance reasons, for example convenient location,” says Kay Alexander, divisional manager at John Prodger Recruitment. “This trend may also be reflected in the fact that flexitime is now the fourth most common benefit that our survey respondents receive after pension, health plans and performance related bonuses.”
In fact convenient location appealed to 31 per cent - obviously fed up of the daily commute - and a better working environment attracted 20 per cent.
Flexitime is enjoyed by nearly a third of lucky employees, who get to go in late or leave early - within the limits of course. Perhaps, with all that technology the engineers have developed, working at home will figure as a benefit in a salary survey of the future.
The good old contributory pension - obviously a source of concern in the future - is enjoyed by 68 per cent while non-contributory pensions are enjoyed by a minority of 11 per cent. As for the remaining 21 per cent, let us hope they have good private pensions or some other fabulous money spinning strategy.
On a last note, it is encouraging to see that 83 per cent of respondents say they have not been discriminated against on the grounds of age. However, that leaves 231 people who say they have suffered this.
Of these, 31 per cent said it was because they were too young, which leaves a massive 69 per cent saying it was because they were too old.
Given the rising age democratic in the UK, and the decreasing numbers entering the engineering profession this is something some employers will need to adjust their thinking about.