May 8, 2023 – The situation in the Croatian job market seems to be quite dynamic. Croats are changing jobs more than ever before, and they intend to continue the practice of quitting. This was confirmed by research conducted last year by the Department of Work Psychology of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb in cooperation with Hendal and a separate survey by the MojPosao portal.
As Poslovni writes, according to research by the Department of Work Psychology, a fifth of Croats were looking for a new job at the time of the survey, and a quarter (27%) intended to do so in the next year.
Research results by the MojPosao portal were a lot more drastic and show that in the last three years, almost half (45%) of employees have quit their jobs, and nearly every other employee plans to do so within a year.
Salary as the main reason for quitting
Zvonimir Galić, a professor from the Department of Work Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy, explains that due to the research methodology, the figures of the MojPosao portal are probably overestimated, but they confirm a dynamic trend that has never existed in the domestic labour market. And the answer to why people change jobs is actually very simple. “Because they can,” says Galić.
“For the first time, we have a situation of a huge lack of workers in all segments, and employers have to fight for them. At the same time, our salaries are generally low and have further decreased due to inflation, so people are looking for work where they can get a better salary,” explains the professor.
It is precisely this – salary – that is the number one reason why people will decide to change jobs. But it is not the only one. Research by the MojPosao portal thus shows that poor working conditions are high on the list of reasons people would start looking for a new job.
After salary (49%), workers also mention bad interpersonal relations (45%), lack of professional advancement opportunities (42%), undervaluation by the employer (42%) and poor working conditions that affect health (41%). It turns out that despite the chronic lack of workers, domestic employers still do not understand the value of workers.
Investing in people
“Management of human resources has progressed a lot in recent years, but it is still weak. Many employers still do not understand that they must deal with people better. It is as if they remain blind to what is happening in the labour market. First, therefore, they must raise wages. But that will not be enough. People want a working environment in which they can grow and progress”, says the Department of Work Psychology professor. Also, Galić believes that the trend of resigning or changing jobs will continue for two reasons.
“Demographic trends are such that more people are retiring than entering the labour market. The labour market is, therefore, structurally changing. Another reason is the continuing emigration,” Galić states, adding that such trends are not bad.
“I think that’s good. We had a sluggish labour market for years, and changing jobs was most often related to getting, not resigning. Now that we have a reversed situation, the consequences will be better for the workers, which is an increase in wages and greater investment in employees and their skills,” the professor points out.
Regarding occupations, his research shows that the most dynamic is in the ICT and trade, transport and tourism sectors. The IT sector is characterised by a lack of specialists and the best working conditions, as IT employees will earn 1,587 euros net per month on average, data from the CBS show.
Therefore, it should not be surprising that employees in this sector easily opt for better opportunities, which are not difficult to get. On the other hand, the trade, transport and tourism sectors are characterised by low wages and worse working conditions, so it should not be surprising that people quit and look for a better job. They will, on average, earn between 878 and 1025 euros per month.
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