"Universal Office Workers Want 'At Least 2 Days Remote Work per Week'... 43% Hope to Resign Within a Year"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji Yeon-jin] Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as remote work was attempted, it was found that 80% of workers worldwide hope to go to the office only two days a week.

According to a survey conducted by EY Consulting on the 24th, targeting executives from 1,500 companies and over 17,000 workers across 22 countries, 22% of corporate respondents said they want to implement full office attendance five days a week, while the majority of employees (80%) preferred a hybrid work model with at least two days of remote work per week.

Since COVID-19, changes have occurred in working methods, work environments, and organizational culture, leading to differing perspectives between workers and companies on these new changes. 64% of workers who participated in the survey responded that productivity increased through the introduction of new work methods, but 41% of corporate respondents said productivity actually decreased due to increased employee turnover.

While 72% of companies expressed concerns that the new work methods would reduce the competitiveness of their members, only 56% of workers agreed with this view.

With the advent of the era of "The Great Resignation" due to recent changes in the global economy and labor environment, 68% of workers responded that turnover rates have increased over the past year. In particular, 43% stated that they intend to leave their current job within a year for reasons such as salary increases, career growth opportunities, and flexible work arrangements.

In last year's survey, only 7% of respondents said they were likely to resign, but the intention to leave among workers has significantly increased. Additionally, 42% of workers said that salary increases are inevitable to retain existing personnel, whereas only 18% of employers agreed, showing a gap in positions.

Among experienced workers seeking new jobs, 35% said "salary increase" and 32% said "flexible work" with freedom in work location and hours were the main reasons for changing jobs. Companies cited education and skill development (37%), flexible work (36%), and in-house welfare (32%) as important factors for their employees to demonstrate their abilities. The proportion of workers who cited education and skill development as a reason for changing jobs was 13%, indicating some distance between what companies and employees consider good job standards.

Analyzing various age groups by country, 53% of the U.S. MZ generation (born early 1980s to early 2000s) are most likely to quit their jobs this year, and by industry, IT workers (60%) were found to have the highest likelihood of resignation.

Kim Jung-wook, CEO of EY Consulting, said, “The results of this report show that today’s workers are willing to leave for a new job whenever the company does not meet their expectations. Although companies are offering flexible work options, record inflation and labor shortages have overlapped, making salary increases the biggest motivation for job changes,” and emphasized, “To minimize resignation risks within organizations, companies need not only to focus on retention and building employee trust but also consider multifaceted compensation such as salary, career opportunities, and work flexibility.”