Highlights of the research
This research aims to highlight the most important ongoing transformations in the world of work, through the concrete experience of those already involved, and with an international perspective that compares some of the world’s leading countries. The result is a clear picture of the recent evolution of the labour market, providing an overview of the current satisfaction of workers and the changes over the past few years, the main factors influencing it, and the priorities that a worker highlights regarding ideal employment.
of respondents consider a professional experience abroad very important
of respondents view the possibility of hybrid work solutions as highly valuable
of respondents consider Continuous Training one of the key satisfaction factors
of job seekers use specialised websites for job postings
Satisfaction
factors
The bridge abroad
Today, increasingly, workers and candidates give more value to internationalisation: it is not only linked to living an experience abroad but also to the opportunity to hold a position within one’s own company with a global reach. Across the countries surveyed, on average, almost one worker in two indicates this factor as very important for satisfaction.
Compared to the 2021 survey, the importance of internationalisation as a satisfaction factor has increased by at least 5 percentage points in all analysed countries with particularly high peaks in the United Kingdom, where the increase approaches 20 percentage points.
48%
of respondents consider a professional experience abroad very important
The importance of smart working
A good work-life balance therefore the reconciliation between the time dedicated to the profession and the time reserved for the personal sphere, is the factor that on average receives the most consensus in the countries analysed, and in particular it is the variable at the top in Spain, Germany, Portugal, China, and Turkey.
The possibility of hybrid solutions is on average the second variable with the highest consensus in the countries under investigation: 70% of respondents consider this factor very important. The highest peaks are observed in the Czech Republic and India (83%).
It is precisely hybrid solutions that respondents have observed the greatest progress in over the past 2-3 years: consensus is common particularly in all European countries, also in light of the changes adopted after the pandemic.
70%
of respondents view the possibility of hybrid work solutions as highly valuable
Good pay, but not only
The strictly economic aspect remains among the elements that workers pay high attention to, albeit with slight variations compared to 2021, its importance decreases significantly in almost all analysed countries.
The focus is increasingly on aspects that are complementary to salary. Continuous training is one of the most interesting aspects – about 60% of respondents place significant value on the opportunity of benefiting from these programmes – because it promotes internal mobility and the recognition of valuing merit. Other significant aspects include the sharing of common values by the company and the presence of welfare and well-being programmes.
How to search
for a job
Between innovation and tradition
The main channels for job search blend innovation and tradition: in the countries analysed, on average, 45% of respondents use specialised websites for job postings, while 42% use (complementarily or alternatively) sending CVs in response to job advertisements. Thanks to growth in recent years, in 2023 LinkedIn was used on average by 30% of respondents. However, in Europe, word of mouth – especially among friends and acquaintances – is considered the most effective channel.
45%
of job seekers use specialised websites for job postings
