Globally, 1 in 5 workers say they are likely to change employers in the next 12 months. They are 1 in 6 in France. This is one of the conclusions drawn from PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears study, a survey of employees around the world, including more than 2,100 French people. The study reveals that 6 out of 10 workers worldwide intend to ask their employer for a raise or bonus in the next 12 months (5 out of 10 in France). Pay pressure is strongest in the tech sector, with 44% of respondents planning to ask for a raise, while it is lowest in the public sector, where the figure stands at 25%.

The salary increase in the first place in France

If a salary increase is the main motivation to change jobs (71%), the search for a satisfying job (69%) and the desire to be oneself at work (66%) are also among the top 3 expectations of employees around the world. Almost half of them (47%) also favor the possibility of choosing their workplace. France is part of this dynamic with the same top 3: the salary increase remains in first place with 58%, professional fulfillment reaches 55% and the possibility of being oneself at work collects 51%. However, the study points out a difference: the feeling of freedom in daily work stands out especially among the French (4th position with 45%), in line with the Dutch (64%) and the Italians (62%).

Employees more likely to look for a new employer in the next 12 months are also less likely to be satisfied with their current employer. Compared to employees who do not intend to change jobs, they are less likely to: find their job satisfactory (-14 points); feel capable of being themselves at work (-11 points); feel fairly financially rewarded (-9 points).

Generation Z less satisfied with their work

Compared to men, women are less likely to say they receive a fair financial reward (-7 points) and to ask for a raise (-7 points). They are also less willing to ask for a promotion (-8 points), and this request is more likely to be ignored, because women believe that their superior listens less to them (-8 points). The study also finds significant generational differences, with Gen Z workers less satisfied with their jobs and twice as likely as baby boomers to fear their jobs will be replaced by technology in the next three years.

The data collected reveals that people with sought-after skills (29% of the sample believe they have rare skills in their country) are more satisfied with their work (70% vs. 52%), they feel listened to by their superiors (63% vs. 38 %) and still have money in their account after paying their bills (56% vs. 44%). Employees say that to close this skills gap, companies are investing in existing payroll by upskilling and raising wages. In fact, employers encourage upskilling by up to 41% in the Netherlands, 39% in Germany, 37% in Spain, 36% in the UK and just 29% in France. On the other hand, they are less likely to say that their company emphasizes automation, outsourcing, and recruiting.

Employees demand transparency

The study also reveals that 65% of employees often or occasionally discuss social and political issues with colleagues; an even higher percentage among young employees (69%). Although leaders sometimes fear these issues will arise at work because of their potentially divisive nature, they have a net positive impact on employees. Among people who discuss these issues at work, 79% found that it had at least one positive consequence. However, 41% of those surveyed indicated that they had found discussions of social issues to have a negative consequence. Only 30% of employees say that their company has implemented measures to promote effective work between colleagues who share different opinions.

Half of employees (53%) believe that their company’s transparency regarding its impact on the environment is important, two-thirds (65%) believe that transparency regarding health and safety is essential. Transparency, in terms of economic impact (60%), is not far behind, followed by diversity and inclusion efforts (54%). In France, employees pay particular attention to the company’s performance in terms of protecting the health and safety of workers. Other watchpoints, the French monitor economic and environmental impact and diversity in the workplace: French 18-25 year olds are most attentive to shared elements in terms of economic impact (79%) and inclusion and diversity ( 77%); 22% of French employees say that their company helps them minimize the environmental impact of their work. If the figure is low, it is nevertheless the highest of the countries in the study.

popular telecommuting

Where the UK, Germany and the US are showing significant progress in terms of full teleworking (100% remote), Italy in the lead, followed by its neighbors Spain and France, still show some attachment to work at the place of practice. While 17% of French people currently return to the office every day, 28% of Italian and 20% of Spanish employees do the same. The hybrid rate has been widely democratized, it exceeds 50% in the vast majority of countries. More than 80% of employees in the countries mentioned above testify to a desire to adopt the hybrid or full remote pace. These figures reach even higher values ​​in Germany (95%), the United Kingdom (93%), the United States (91%) and Spain (90%). It is Generation Z (18-25 years old) who most want to return to the office every day (21%), compared to 9% of Millennials (26-41 years old) and 16% of those over 42 years. .

Among other key findings from the study: 45% of employees surveyed said their work couldn’t be done remotely. Among those who say their work can be done remotely: 63% prefer a mix of in-person and remote work; the same proportion expect to be offered this hybrid model for the next 12 months, at least. 26% of employees would prefer to work remotely full time, but only 18% believe their employer would be willing to adopt this model. 18% believe their employer is likely to require full-time on-site work, a model preferred by only 11% of employees.

Methodology: In March 2022, PwC conducted a study with 52,195 employees or active people, including more than 2,100 French, of all generations, company sizes and sectors. The sample was drawn to reflect a mix of industries, demographics, and work patterns. It is made up of employees from 44 countries and territories, each of which is represented in proportion to its share of global GDP. The subsamples include between 250 and 5,000 people, with the average per territory being around 1,200 participants. The age groups targeted by the study are Gen Z (18-25), Millennials (26-41), Gen X (42-57), and Baby Boomers (58-76).