More Canadians look to quit their jobs after pandemic: survey

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Two new surveys suggest a lot of Canadians are thinking about quitting their job once the pandemic is over.

A survey by Robert Half, a large recruitment agency in Canada, found that feelings of burnout were coupled with feelings of career stagnation, with 62 per cent of respondents saying the pandemic had made them feel stuck when it comes to career advancement and salary growth.

A secondary poll by the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation also found that 42 per cent of Canadian employees say they’re considering changing their job or entire career in the next year.

Brian Gallant, CEO of CCPC and former premier of New Brunswick, said it’s striking that only four per cent of those people said compensation was the reason they were considering a change of pace.

“The findings from the research reveal the pandemic has driven a shift in life priorities for Canadians,” said Gallant, who adds young people and women in particular care more about their mental health and personal lives.

“The number one reason that some Canadians are considering a different job is the belief that their employer cares almost solely about revenue or profits and does not care enough about stakeholders like employees,” he said.

Debbie Carreau, CEO of Inspired HR, says employers need to check-in and be flexible to retain workers.

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“Teams are getting burnt out. And if someone’s feeling like they’re burnt out, what is the likely thing that they’re going to do? They’re actually going to leave,” she says.

Carreau says employers need to make sure they’re paying fairly and that they’re paying at the market rate.

“People are going to go somewhere else, where they feel like they’re not only treated fairly, but also they’re paid fairly,” Carreau says.

Carreau says she’s hearing from more people than ever who are planning to resign when the pandemic is over.

“People are really looking to change careers more than I’ve ever seen. The pandemic has really brought to light for people, how important their mental health is, and their personal lives. People feel like after 15 months or 16 months of this pandemic that their careers are stalling,” she says.

She says that if companies want to retain their teams after the pandemic, they need to make sure they’re staying in touch with their employees.

“[Employers] need to make sure they’re staying close to their teams, and that their teams feel like they’re connected to the business,” she says.

Carreau says the amount of people looking to work elsewhere really doesn’t come as a surprise.

“A lot of people, even though they’re working from home, they’re working more than ever,” she says.

– With files from Canadian Press