Global Employers Face Disengaged Workforce shows Universum's research

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, February 21, 2011 (Press-News.org) Two-thirds of employees will leave their current employer to pursue new challenges. Understandably, this significantly affects companies--51% of employers experienced a loss of business due to lack of the right people. To make matters worse, four out of five employers said it's difficult to attract talent. What are the implications on business and how can companies counteract the problem?

These are the major findings of the UNIVERSUM Employer Branding Insights 2011 survey of 630 global employers about talent attraction needs and challenges. 64% say their key employees leave to pursue new professional opportunities and 43% believe it's for the money. "This highlights the attitude of new generations to take risks, demand self-development and pursue a self-fulfilling life--the old way, a job for life, exists no longer. Due to generation Y's mindset, companies cannot rely on people to stay in the job for their whole career; nowadays employers need to secure their talent pipeline for two, three, or even ten years ahead", said Michal Kalinowski, Universum's CEO.

The positive sign is that 82% of employers now invest in talent attraction (activities that exclude direct recruitment but include employer branding and communications) and a significant proportion believe that the solution lies in developing brand awareness and esteem.

"Baby boomers, who are the most experienced working cohort, will retire this year and next. Thus, most employers will face a brain drain of competence and practical experience--are employers ready for this?" warned Michal.

About Employer Branding Insights 2011
Universum surveyed close to 630 global employers, during the months of December 2010 to January 2011. The majority of respondents worked in HR, Recruitment and Employer Branding in one of the following regions: Europe, Americas and Asia.

Universum is an international company that specialises in the field of employer branding. Founded in 1988, its goal was to improve communication between students and the employers who want to recruit them. Today, Universum's mission is to help employers excel in recruitment and retention by ensuring improvements to their employer brand. Universum delivers a full range of services in research, strategic consulting and communication solutions that enable employers to better understand, attract and retain current and future ideal employees. Universum is a trusted partner to 1,200 clients, including many Fortune 500 companies, and co-operates with 1,500 universities worldwide to conduct research on the career and employer preferences of top talent. On an annual basis, the company surveys approximately 400,000 students and professionals worldwide. For more information, go to http://www.universumglobal.com.