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CIPD forecasts major job exodus into 2023

Over 6 million (6.5 million) people plan to quit their jobs in the next 12 months according to new research from the CIPD, an increase from this time last year.

The CIPD's Good Work Index found 20% of those surveyed were planning to leave in the next 12 months as opposed to 16% in 2021.

Better pay was the motivating factor for 35%, with 27% seeking increased job satisfaction and 24% looking for a better work/life balance.


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Melanie Green, research adviser at the CIPD, said HR teams have the potential to improve job quality, although they shouldn't take on all of the responsibility.

Speaking to HR magazine, she said: "People professionals have a key role to play, by promoting good quality people management practices and improving job quality where it’s most needed, including wellbeing and work life balance. However, it’s not the sole role of HR to either attract or retain staff."

Fostering a positive work culture is a company-wide responsibility, she added, driven from the top down.

She said: "People professionals can support this by collaborating with senior leaders and line managers to promote healthy, productive working environments that enable people to thrive at work and lead the way in driving change and ensuring work is good for all."

The research also showed that low earners are less likely to get good development opportunities at work; 39% of those earning below £20,000 said their job offered good development options compared to 72% of those earning more than £60,000 a year.

Zofia Bajorek, senior research fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), said improving development opportunities would help companies retain staff. 

She said: "If employers do not turn their attention to developing good work practices such as autonomy, training and development, workplace support, employee voice, good performance management and fairness, then they will be facing this retention and recruitment crisis.

"The idea about ‘good work’ is not new, but with the Covid pandemic and the tight labour market, now really is the time to propel the good work agenda back to the top of the HR list."