Last month, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez made a statement regarding September’s Employment Situations report. Perez said, “The recovery continued in September, with the economy adding 142,000 new jobs. It was the 67th consecutive month of private-sector job growth, with 13.2 million private jobs created since early 2010. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.1 percent, and the number of people employed part-time for economic reasons has fallen by one million over the past year. Job growth is consistent with the pace we saw in 2012 and 2013, if not as robust as last year’s.”
With the decrease in unemployment numbers and the increase in new jobs, we are going to see more “job hoppers.” Fewer job seekers per vacancy means that if employees are looking to leave, it will be easier for them to do so. Employees will move from one job to another if they perceive it to be a better opportunity.
Now is the ideal time for employers to focus on retention – keeping employees happy in a positive and safe work environment. Those that don’t will see employees heading for the door.