Global Job Satisfaction Survey reveals half of A&D professionals planning to move jobs

Less than half (48%) of A&D professionals feel valued in their current roles and half (49%) plan to move jobs in the next 12-18 months.  Those are just two of the findings from the latest Global Job Satisfaction Survey carried out by Bespoke Careers, which launches this month. 

The report looks at five key areas of job satisfaction, work/life balance, pay & benefits, wellbeing and moving jobs. It was based on the survey responses of 879 global professionals working across the A&D industry, specifically architecture, (including BIM, landscape & urban design), interior design, architectural & interior products, business support and graphics.

Despite the significant challenges of the past 12 months, attracting and retaining good staff remains a key priority for architecture and design firms all over the world. But only by understanding how satisfied those working in the sector are and what really matters to them, can firms begin to compete for the best talent in the market.

Key findings from the report, include; 

• Less than half (48%) of respondents globally feel valued in their current role. 
• 35% of global respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their career development prospects in their current role.
• Only 38% of those surveyed received an appraisal in 2020, with the percentage of men (57%) who didn’t receive an appraisal lower than women (65%). 
• Work\life balance has been severely impacted in the last year. Only 31% of respondents took all of their annual leave and 44% say that working late/at weekends has increased since the start of the pandemic, with this number even higher in the UK, at 53%. 
• 49% of those surveyed stated that their career priorities have changed since the pandemic started. The percentages were significantly higher in the UK and the US than Australia, most likely a reflection of how hard hit the countries have been in comparison. Mostly the pandemic has made work/life balance and family a greater focus for many people. 
• When asked about working remotely in the future, the majority of respondents would like to work at home either 2 or 3 days a week or have the ability to flex this from week to week. 
• 47% of UK respondents took a pay reduction last year, much higher than in the US (36%) or Australia (36%) and of those who took a pay reduction, the vast majority state that it was compulsory and also didn’t reflect a reduction in working hours. 
• Not surprisingly, the majority (76%) of people globally did not receive a pay rise in the last 12 months.
• In terms of satisfaction levels with overall remuneration packages, those in the UK are far more dissatisfied (54%) compared to the US (48%) and Australia (46%). 
• Satisfaction levels with benefits packages were also fairly low – only 23% of global respondents were satisfied, with 22%, 26% and 21% in the UK, US and Australia respectively. 
• Only 28% of global respondents feel that their employer is taking care of their mental wellbeing. 
• Only 32% of people globally feel satisfied with the level of support their employer has given them in terms of their health and even less (27%) say that their employer has put in place extra measures to support them this year. 
• Two-thirds of UK (60%) and of US (57%) respondents feel the pandemic has had a detrimental impact on their health and wellbeing, compared to only 30% in Australia. 
• Half (49%) of A&D professionals surveyed plan to move jobs in the next 12-18 months. 
• Lack of career progression was the main driver in people wanting to move jobs, followed closely by salary. 
• Globally, pay increase (55%), work/life balance (53%), and career progression prospects (50%) are the top three most important factors to respondents when looking for a new job. 

You can download a full copy of the 2021 Job Satisfaction Survey here.

You might also be interested in: 4 key areas A&D firms need to focus on in 2021 to attract & retain talent.