Study: Employers with jobs that match career phases are particularly attractive

Düsseldorf/Berlin, 25/03/2024

  • Joint survey by The Stepstone Group and Kienbaum Institute @ ISM for Leadership & Transformation among 8,400 employees
  • Social aspects are important in later career phases and self-realization in younger years
  • Nine out of ten do not rule out a job change, almost half of them even take action themselves
  • Enormous opportunities for companies to poach skilled labor from the competition

Düsseldorf/Berlin, 25 March 2024 – In the battle for the best talent, employers can score big points with job seekers with customized offers tailored to their career phase. This is the result of the "Attracting Talent 2024" study conducted by the digital recruiting platform The Stepstone Group and the Kienbaum Institute @ ISM for Leadership & Transformation among 8,400 employees in Germany. Different career stage, different needs: While social aspects, such as corporate culture are the main focus later on in people’s careers, the topic of self-realization in the job plays a prominent role for younger people. Regardless of age or profession, salary remains central to the attractiveness of a position.

The labor market continues to be highly dynamic: according to the study, 92 per cent of employees do not rule out changing jobs. Almost half of them state that they actively look for job offers themselves. The fact that the baby boomer generation will soon be retiring increases the pressure on companies even further."The shortage of skilled labor is not a buzzword, but a real problem that will hit our economy really hard. Companies that don't pay attention will lose the race for the best talent," warns Prof Walter Jochmann, Managing Director & Partner at Kienbaum.

According to the results of the study, adaptability is the key for companies in this environment: the winners will be those who can recognize trends on the job market and adjust their strategies. "We already have a labor shortage today, but the unemployment is yet to come. To remain competitive, we need more than a one-size-fits-all solution. It is more important than ever to meet the needs of different career phases," emphasizes Dr Tobias Zimmermann, labor market expert at Stepstone. "Of course, pay is an important criterion, but catering to personal needs that change over the course of an employee's life is just as crucial. Individual and flexible personnel support will be crucial in the future," he emphasizes.

Prof Walter Jochmann believes that the high willingness of employees to change jobs currently offers companies enormous opportunities to poach top talent from the competition. However: "The recruiting process must become leaner, more efficient and smarter. Companies that remove barriers here will win the battle for skilled labor. At the same time, it also saves capacity," he emphasizes. According to the study, people not only want to change jobs, they also want to do so particularly quickly because the employees they are looking for are well aware of their favorable situation.

Click here to read the full article at The Stepstone Group Insights:

https://www.thestepstonegroup.com/en/insights/new-study-attracting-talent-2024---what-workers-really-want-today/

About Kienbaum

Founded in 1945, Kienbaum is Germany's first consultancy firm and the only personnel and management consultancy of European origin. The company is represented worldwide with 22 offices on four continents. As a family business with over 600 employees, Kienbaum empowers people and organisations to transform potential into progress in order to position themselves for the future.