Survey suggests resignations among managers ‘rise despite downturn’

Reduce costs – but keep your valuable & irreplaceable staff

A report from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) found that over 225,000 managers quit their jobs in the year to the end of January, despite the possibility of unemployment and a difficult job market.

The report shows that that 4.7% of members covered by its annual survey resigned from their jobs, up from 4.5% last year.

Asked what motivated this desire to change jobs, 53.8% of employers questioned – more than half – admitted that restructuring and job insecurity were a key reason for staff leaving their positions.

Contributing factors suggested by employers in the survey were a failure on the part of firms to ‘offer career opportunities and training’, and the increasing influence of head-hunters and recruitment consultants.

The survey also implies that employers are failing to persuade staff to stay, with requests for ‘internal transfers’ – an alternative to resignation – dropping by 2.2% since last year.

Ruth Spellman, chief executive of the CMI, comments: “A year ago employers were looking at job transfers as a way of halting growth of the dole queue. However, with the latest figures showing that staff are prepared to run the risk of unemployment by jumping ship, questions must be asked about employee engagement levels in organisations up and down the country.

The CMI also said that its members were finding it hard to recruit staff, despite the latest figures showing that UK unemployment currently stands at 2.47 million.

Filling vacancies is a problem for 46% of firms, with 77% saying they cannot get people with the skills they want.