In a report published today, the CIPD said talent is "once again on the move" after years of labour stagnation.
The CIPD/Halogen Employee Outlook study of about 3,000 employees, found 24% of workers are looking for a new job in Autumn 2013. This compares to 21% in Spring 2013 and 20% in Spring 2012.
The study showed 24% of workers in the private and voluntary sectors, and 23% in the public sector are looking for a new job.
A quarter of employees polled report their organisation has a freeze on recruitment, down from 28% in Spring 2013 and 29% in Winter 2012.
CIPD research adviser Claire McCartney said the movement of talent signals a decline in "fear around job security".
"Talent is on the move again, and this should signal a warning to employers to up their game when it comes to retaining key talent," said McCartney.
"If they aren't monitoring their employees' progression and providing opportunities to talk about career development, they may well risk losing some of their most talented workers."
The study showed the intention to look for a new job increases with job dissatisfaction – 62% of unsatisfied workers were looking for a job, compared to 10% of satisfied workers.
About 60% said an opportunity to progress within their role is important to them, but a shocking one in four employees said they had never had a performance review at work.
Donna Ronayne, vice president of marketing at Halogen, said: "These findings demonstrate that organisations who want to keep top talent need to asses how well their talent management programmes are addressing employee needs and the needs of the company."
