More than one-third of professionals, 38%, said their career has stalled since the start of the pandemic, according to a survey released today by Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE: RHI); that number jumps to 66% for those ages 18 to 24. In addition, nearly one in three respondents said they had a shift in perspective due to the pandemic and want to pursue a more meaningful or fulfilling job.
In a separate poll, 59% of senior managers revealed that they postponed promoting top performers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and 78% of those respondents worry about staff retention as a result.
Workers experiencing a stalled career reported feeling stuck when it comes to:
- Salary growth: 54%
- Career advancement: 47%
- Ability to grow their professional network: 47%
- Skills development: 44%
“As the job market continues to rebound, employers need to be concerned about retention,” said Paul McDonald, senior executive director at Robert Half. “Younger professionals, especially, want to be challenged and may leave if they’re unsatisfied. Now is the time for managers to invest in upskilling, review performance goals and develop mentoring programs that benefit all employees.”
The online surveys include responses from more than 2,800 adult workers, collected from March 26 to April 15, and more than 2,800 senior managers, collected from Nov. 19 to Dec. 18, 2020, at companies with 20 or more employees in the US.