Jobs and the Future of Work

This is what 52,000 people think about the future of work

A new PwC survey spoke to nearly 52,000 people across 44 countries and territories about the future of work

A new PwC survey spoke to nearly 52,000 people across 44 countries and territories about the future of work Image: REUTERS/Borja Suarez

Joe Myers
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Future of Work

This article is part of: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

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  • A new PwC survey spoke to nearly 52,000 people across 44 countries and territories about the future of work.
  • The results suggest that the Great Resignation is set to continue.
  • Pay is the key driver for people seeking a new employer, the survey found.
  • It also found a majority in favour of a mix of in-person and remote work.

The Great Resignation is set to continue, according to the result of a new survey by consultancy firm PwC.

The survey of 52,195 workers in 44 countries and territories suggests that one of the biggest post-pandemic trends for the future of work is set to continue, with 1-in-5 workers saying they're likely to switch to a new employer in the next 12 months.

The survey also found that 35% of employees plan to ask for a raise in the next year.

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The Great Resignation continues

So what's driving workers to seek opportunities elsewhere? The PwC survey about the future of work found that pay is the key driver for people seeking a new employer, with nearly three-quarters of those asked naming this as a factor.

Also on people's list of reasons was wanting a fulfilling job (69%) and wanting to truly be themselves at work (66%).

Compared to those who have no intention of moving, those who are looking to move are 14 percentage points less likely to find their jobs fulfulling, 11 percentage points less likely to feel they can truly be their self at work and 9 percentage points less likely to feel fairly rewarded financially.

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The gender gap persists

This survey about the future of work also suggests some polarization of global workforces. Women were less likely than men to say they were fairly financially rewarded, but also less likely to ask for a raise. Add to that the fact women are less likely to feel like their manager will listen to them and a picture of gender differences is clear.

“It is bad for society and bad for business when there is a failure to ensure women have the same opportunities as men to develop their skills and careers," said Pete Brown, Co-Leader of PwC’s Global People and Organisation services. "One of the quickest ways to strengthen the workforce is to ensure women are not overlooked - which means addressing the culture, systems and structures that can lead to women losing out.”

It's a picture that was mirrored in the latest World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap report. The 2021 edition found that the Economic Participation and Opportunity gap remains the second-largest globally and is set to take 267.6 years to close.

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How is the World Economic Forum promoting equity in the workplace?

The future of hybrid work

Nearly two-thirds of respondents whose jobs are possible remotely said they prefer a mix of in-person and remote working - a figure that hasn't changed since last year. Just 11% would prefer a return to full-time in-person work, while 18% say their employers are likely to require it.

However, nearly half of those surveyed said it wasn't possible to do their job remotely (45%).

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:
Jobs and the Future of WorkEducation and SkillsForum Institutional
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