Pop star or public servant? RBC poll uncovers desires of
the Canadian workforce
TORONTO, February 25, 2008 — If given the chance
to switch jobs, Canadians prefer the lure of stardom or the
security of a good pension and would work in either the entertainment
or government sectors, according to a new workplace survey
from RBC. Sitting at the bottom of the "most desirable"
list are employment opportunities in the accounting, financial
services and trade sectors.
Conducted by Ipsos Reid and titled The Competition for
Canadian Talent, the RBC Survey found that at 34 per cent,
a government job was the most appealing sector, with entertainment
following closely, at 27 per cent. In comparison, financial
services came in at 11 per cent and accounting at nine per
cent.
"It was surprising to see financial services and accounting
near the bottom of the list, given that we receive hundreds
of thousands of resumes each year and hire several thousand
people in Canada annually," said Christianne Paris, vice-president,
Recruitment and Learning, RBC. "We strive to provide
an interesting and inclusive work environment that draws on
the strengths, talents and differences of our diverse workforce
and even though for the past several years, we have been rated
as one of the best companies to work for in Canada, the survey
seems to indicate that there is still work to be done to get
the word out."
The RBC Survey also found that while 52 per cent of working
Canadians say they have a strong sense of loyalty to their
employers, only one-quarter (28 per cent) would stay with
their current employer if offered a comparable job with higher
pay elsewhere. According to those surveyed, higher pay is
the top benefit (69 per cent) that an employer can offer to
a potential or current employee, followed by better health/benefit
coverage (35 per cent) and cash bonus or profit sharing incentives
(34 per cent). Clearly, money is the key driver for most people
however opportunity for advancement (23 per cent) and opportunity
for increased work/life balance (20 per cent) are also important
draws.
"It is not enough to just offer someone a job. Employers
need to look at and annually review their total employment
package which should include salary, benefits, learning and
development options as well as an engaging work environment,"
said Paris. "In order to recruit or keep top talent,
employers need to meet the needs of both prospective and current
employees."
According to the survey, employed Canadians have worked for
5.3 different employers since starting their careers. While
on average most Canadians say they have worked for their current
employer for 8.4 years, which is relatively unchanged from
10 years ago (8.3 years) when RBC conducted a similar survey,
almost half (47 per cent) plan to stay five years or less
and one-quarter (24 per cent) intend to stay 20 years or more.
However, of those surveyed, a little over one-quarter (28
per cent) felt that they would rather stay with one employer
for most of their career than have several different employers
and more than one-third (36 per cent) preferred to move within
their company rather than look outside.
Given that nearly half of Canadians expect to change jobs
five times in their career, almost one-third keep their resume
up-to-date just in case opportunity knocks. Of those surveyed,
more than 30 per cent have applied for a new job in the past
year and two-thirds (66 per cent) believe they have what it
takes to succeed in the workplace in the next decade.
"Employers must recognize that people need to feel challenged
and successful in their jobs otherwise they will seek it elsewhere,
either by watching for new and exciting opportunities within
their own company or outside of it, or breaking away completely
and choosing a different career path altogether," said
Paris.
These are some of the findings of an RBC poll conducted by
Ipsos Reid between November 5 and November 15, 2007. The online
survey is based on randomly selected representative sample
of 2,052 Canadian full and part-time workers. With a representative
sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to
within ±2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20,
of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian
population been polled. These data were statistically weighted
to ensure the sample's regional and age composition reflects
that of the actual employed Canadian population according
to the 2006 Census data.
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For more information, please contact:
Jackie Braden, RBC Media Relations, 416-974-2124
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