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Fewer workers leaving jobs amid the downturn

Fewer people left their main job between June and April this year, presenting a 42% drop over the last 13 years.

674,000 people left their jobs in the second quarter of 2011, compared with the peaf of 1.17 million in 1998.

The new statistics from the ONS indicate that the UK job market is less dynamic on the whole, however younger people were shown to be more likely to leave their main job.

4.2% of those aged 16-24 left their main job in the period, while only 1.9% of 35 to 49-year-olds did so.

The statistics support research by recruitment consultancy FreshMinds Talent, that found almost 90% 0f graduates leave their first job within three years.

Commenting on the figures, James Callander, managing director of FreshMinds, said: “Graduate employers more than ever need to think of ways to retain the best talent and think of graduates’ career progression beyond the first couple of years.

“These figures also serve as a reminder to students to make sure they complete work experience whilst studying so that they are certain of the sector and type of job they really want to take.”

Of those who left their main jobs, 43% were made to leave involuntarily, while 57% had chosen to do so voluntarily.

Theses figures show that numbers leaving involuntarily had marginally declined.

Mr Callander added: “FreshMinds Talent welcomes the fact that of the 674,000 people who left their main job in 2011, 57 per cent, or 382,000 chose to leave voluntarily on their own terms.

“This is definitely an improvement on 2009 when the number of people leaving their main job on a voluntary basis was equivalent to the number leaving on an involuntary basis, both at 382,000 or 50/50%.

“Although this is a step in the right direction, 2012 looks set to be another challenging year for the industry.”

The report also highlighted the fact that the number of public sector workers who had been made to leave their jobs had doubled in the period since the end of the recession, from 0.5% in April 2009 to 1% in 2011.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .