Survey shows divide in how staff and employers view work

Pay is employees’ top concern, while employers prioritise talent retention and think staff are less likely to leave during an economic slowdown.

EY’s 2023 Work Reimagined Survey reveals that 34% of workers are willing to change jobs in the next 12 months, but 58% of managers think employees will stay in their current roles. Pay remains employees’ priority, cited by 35%.

The survey, which polled 17,050 employees and 1,575 employers across 25 sectors and more than 20 geographies, indicates a power shift since Covid – 45% believe it is held by managers and 31% think it favours staff. Pre-pandemic, those figures were 54% and 23% respectively.

Flexible working was cited by 84% of employers as crucial to attracting talent, but was important for 63% of staff. Among knowledge workers who use analysis or subject expertise in a professional office setting, 47% of employers and 37% of staff prefer working remotely two or three days a week. Fully remote working is backed by 52% of financial service workers.

The survey also shows that 49% of employees are or expect to be using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the next 12 months, compared to 84% of employers. Despite this, GenAI skills training is a top priority for just 17% of employees and 22% of employers.

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