How was 2022 for employees and what they want from 2023?

44% of the participants in the latest survey carried out by eJobs Romania say that 2022 was a year full of uncertainties and challenges, while for 32.4% it was a year of growth, with pleasant surprises and easier than 2021. 2 out of 10 employees admit that this was a difficult year.

It was also a relatively stable year from the point of view of job changes, with the results of the survey showing that 68.5% of respondents did not make any move in this regard. However, ask what they want most from 2023, the most common answer is related to job change (23.4%). The list of wishes goes on with salary increase, to work long-term from home, to be promoted, to find a job because they are currently unemployed or to open their own business. Fewer than 10% say they have no reason to be optimistic about 2023.

“When describing 2022 as a good year, half of respondents refer primarily to the fact that their salary was increased. 18% found their dream job, 12.6% were promoted to a better position in the company they work for, and 3% opened their own business. Moreover, from year to year, we see fewer and fewer people who want to move from the status of employee to that of entrepreneur. On the other hand, when it comes to the reasons that made 2022 a bad year, the answers are channeled in only two broad directions – the fact that they couldn’t find the job they wanted and the fact that they didn’t get a pay rise,” says Roxana Drăghici, Head of Sales at eJobs Romania.

As for the perspectives for the next year, 43.9% of the respondents say they fear the impact of a potential economic crisis. 15.5% think their income might diminish, and 14.4% consider the fact it might be more difficult for them to get a job in 2023. Particularly for this reason, if they are not content anymore with their current job, 82% of them are rather willing to be patient with their present job until they have the certainty that they found a back-up plan. However, 23.4% of the respondents have no fear about the upcoming year.

“Respondents’ options regarding the type of employer they would or will turn to in 2021 were also very interesting, because they say a lot about what they want, but also about the direction in which the market will migrate. In this sense, we see that 30.2% would choose a multinational company, citing, as the first argument, stability and the ability to withstand economic shocks, and 21.1% would choose an employer that would allow them to work exclusively remotely. Romanian companies attract only 14% of respondents, and small companies 14.2%. Start-ups seem to have, at this end of the year, the lowest trust capital from the candidates, given that only 7.2% would choose to work in such a company”, Roxana Drăghici adds.

The survey was conducted in the month of October – November, on a sample of 1,400 respondents.