Salary, the atmosphere at a company, and career opportunities rank as the three most important criteria workers take into account when looking at job opportunities, The Adecco Group reported today. It cited its new survey of 1,300 workers and 155 companies in 16 countries.
The salary was mentioned by 53% of the survey’s participants as a top consideration. The work atmosphere was cited by 36% of workers while career development was cited by 25%.
“At first glance, employers and workers seem to be aligned on the main criteria that motivate people to apply for a job. They agree that salary is the top consideration, with the next two positions occupied by workplace atmosphere and opportunities for career development,” said Adecco President Christophe Catoir in commentary on the findings.
“However, companies tend to overestimate the importance of salary — 72% of companies mention it as the main factor, compared to 53% of workers,” Catoir continued. “Companies also put too much stock in their own reputation — collectively, they think that working for a well-known employer is the seventh-biggest attraction for workers, whereas workers themselves rate it down in 16th.”
The survey also found that workers place importance on flexible work, both in terms of time and location. Workers also rated well-being and health protection as important.
One finding Adecco cited as surprising was that 14% of companies believed a company’s high level of notoriety was important, ranking it in the top 10 of their expectations. On the other hand, only 4% of workers said the same, placing it near the bottom of their priority list.
Adecco’s survey also found that for 22% of workers, big tech companies topped their list of most-desired places to work. Of those, 48% cited Amazon and 27% cited Google.
Workers and companies in the survey were located in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Latin America, Spain, Switzerland, and the US.