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The year 2023 is almost over, and more than 40% of employees say it was better than 2022, according to a survey by the online recruitment platform bestjobs. However, 43% of employees were looking for a new job in 2023, another 24% experienced burnout, 15% worked to get a promotion at their current job, and so many have struggled to increase their incomes to better cope with price increases.
For 2024, 52% plan to change their current job in the first half of the year, while another 27% remain open to this possibility but do not yet have a concrete plan.
When it comes to achievements, more than 40% of bestjobs survey respondents say the main good part of 2023 was achieving a work-life balance. 15% feel fulfilled because they managed to increase their income, 14% because they completed an important and difficult project, 12% because they changed their job, and 10% because they managed to keep their job.
Improving mental health was an important achievement for another 12%. When asked about their current salary, 64% of employees said it was below the market average for them, which explains why they are so keen to look for a better job in the new year. 21% believe that they are paid at the level of market offers and only 5% stated that their income exceeds the market average.
Regarding a new job, employees would be happy if the future employer offered them promotion opportunities (85%), job stability (63%) and a healthy work environment (54%).
Among the extra-salary benefits, most would prefer to have a flexible schedule (60%), specialized courses and trainings (53%), the possibility to work remotely (38%) and more vacation days (23% ). Subscriptions to private medical clinics, private health insurance, optional private pension also remain at the top of the desired benefits.
“The year 2023 brought many professional challenges for many of the employees, and the application records best express this. Between rising prices and workloads, people have come to want a better job that also offers them a healthy work-life balance. This balance can also translate into financial comfort, so they looked for higher salary offers, but also through a smaller workload, which would allow them to be more present for personal activities. For the year 2024, we expect the pace of applications to remain accelerated, in relation to the needs of employees for growth”, says Ana Vișian, Marketing Manager of bestjobs.
Romanian employees expect higher expenses during this period and hope for a Christmas bonus to offset the increase in costs If in past years, almost 70% of respondents allocated a budget of up to 500 lei for gifts, now only 40% expect to limit themselves to this amount. Recent price increases have made Romanians consider larger budgets if they want to meet the same seasonal needs. In this regard, 20% allocate between 500 and 700 lei, and 22% plan to spend up to 2,000 lei. 18% however have no plans to buy any gifts. To combat the effects of price increases, 7 out of 10 employees hope to receive a bonus from their employer this Christmas, according to the bestjobs survey.
Almost 40% say they would enjoy money, 15% gift vouchers, 13% expect to receive specific holiday products, 10% a 13th paycheck, and 7% extra days off. Even though office Christmas traditions are important to almost 70% of respondents, less than half of employers still organize something for this occasion. 24% have a themed Christmas party, 32% organize Secret Santa as a team, 11% gather at the office to make the tree together, and 6% dedicate themselves to charitable actions involving team members. And this year, most will spend Christmas at home, with family, friends or partner. 10% will go to the mountains, 12% go out to the city for specially organized parties, 7% spend outside the country, and 4% work that day.
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