Most workers confident they can find a new job in 6 months – so what’s holding them back?

Many workers are confident they could find a new job within six months – but several factors are holding them back, according to a new global report.

Almost nine in 10 (86%) are confident that they could find a new job within six months — compared to 61% in 2022, finds a survey by LHH.

Workers are confident they can land a job within half a year whether it's through:

• their own networks (74%)
• an independent job search (71%)
• a staffing agency (68%).

Respondents said their top five reasons for changing jobs are: a better salary, career progression, well-being, a sense of purpose and “being your own boss.”

And 72% of workers say they contemplate future career plans at least quarterly.

^{Source: LHH}

However, 52% of workers say external factors are holding back their professional growth. They also cite "fear of the unknown" (51%) as the economic climate (23%), age (22%) and limited opportunities within their own industries (20%) as factors holding back professional development.

As a result, 73% of workers plan to stay in their current jobs this year, found the survey of 30,000 workers from 23 countries and 25 industries.

Employees want upskilling, training

With so many things changing the way we do work, 64% of workers globally believe that businesses should upskill and train employees for roles across the company before hiring externally.

And 50% think employers as are obliged to ready them for new workplace realities.

^{Source: LHH}

"With the profound shifts reshaping the global workforce, the importance of leadership, skills training, and opportunities for internal mobility cannot be overstated,” said Gaëlle de la Fosse, president of LHH.

“Employee satisfaction and retention is closely related to how a company builds a culture that fosters career growth and invests in skills development."

Almost all employees using generative AI tools still want to be trained on using them, according to a separate report.

Employees are aware the skills landscape is changing, and they expect support from their employers, said LHH in the report Global Workforce of the Future Report 2024.

Some (19%) also feel they are not using all of their skills in their current roles.

A previous Salesforce data revealed that 82% of people leaders believe that skills-based experience is highly important when evaluating candidates.