A total of 41% of employees in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa are considering new jobs in the next twelve months due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The figure was published in the “Securing the Future of Work” report issued by Kaspersky. The two main drivers of this career trend, according to the survey on which the report was issued, are the ambition to obtain a higher salary, and to maintain a fair work-life balance.
A total of 52% of the employees participating in the study noted the former, whilst 41% made light of the latter, which experts believe is natural under these circumstances.
Despite the uncertainty prevailing in the labour market, employees still have hopes and aspirations for the future. While 44% would prefer to remain in their current role, many employees feel daring enough to consider reshaping their work lives to better fit their personal lives.
Amid the lockdown and working remotely, people had more time to think about their future jobs, improve their professional skills, or learn something new.
The pandemic has also revealed an interest in spending more time at home with family, as well as pursuing personal interests and hobbies. Employees may want to keep this opportunity open, even after the pandemic comes to an end.
After the incentives for salary and personal comfort, the search for a job role of greater value and significance was the third most important reason given by the study participants, at 39%.
The events of 2020 may have allowed employees to rethink their current jobs and realize the value of their time and how they want to spend it.
Employees will create a “new work reality” by rethinking their desires and capabilities, according to Sergey Martsynkyan, head of Kaspersky’s B2B product marketing department.
“Whether they change jobs or remain in their current roles, they will work hard to keep the comfort privileges they’re getting from remote work,” Martsynkyan said, “To achieve this, they must adopt the appropriate attitude, learn to be flexible, and work in a smarter way.”
He added that they must of course regulate their work environment and take responsibility for its reliability and security, and this may become a competitive advantage in the eyes of employers.
