Quarter of people unhappy with their jobs

ACCENTURE RESEARCH:ALMOST TWO-THIRDS of employed Irish men and women are unhappy in their current roles but only 24 per cent are looking to move jobs, research being published today will show.

The research was carried out by Accenture to mark International Women’s Day, which falls today. It involved almost 4,000 business executives in 31 countries, including 100 executives in Ireland.

The study found that Irish women and men were more dissatisfied with their jobs than their colleagues abroad. Some 62 per cent of Irish women were unhappy, compared with 57 per cent of women globally. Some 62 per cent of Irish men were unhappy, compared with 59 per cent globally.

However, Irish people were less likely to do something about it. Some 24 per cent of Irish people said they were seeking to move jobs, compared with 31 per cent of workers globally.

The research also found that 64 per cent of Irish women did not have a flexible work schedule compared with 41 per cent globally.

Some 40 per cent of women said career demands were having a negative impact on family life.

The findings in the Path Forward study will be discussed at Accenture’s International Women’s Day event at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin today.

The study also found that 68 per cent of Irish women believed they had the same opportunities as men in the workplace. Some 78 per cent of men believed women had the same opportunities. More Irish men than women (40 per cent versus 32 per cent) were found to rate work-life balance as the most important factor in their career.

When it came to family life, more men (48 per cent) than women (34 per cent) said their careers had slowed down as a result of becoming a parent.

Some 60 per cent of women said they believed their companies supported the advancement of women, while 76 per cent of men believed this.

The research also found that men were more likely than women to ask for, and get, a pay rise.

More than half the women surveyed (54 per cent) said they had asked for a pay rise in the past year and three-quarters were successful. This compared to 58 per cent of men who had sought a pay rise. Some 83 per cent were successful.

Half of the women surveyed said they had sought a promotion – an increase of 12 per cent on last year. However, 28 per cent were unsuccessful this time around compared with just 5 per cent last year.

Accenture Ireland senior executive Marian Corcoran highlighted the fact that one-quarter of people currently in employment did not plan to move job, despite being unhappy.

“If Ireland’s goal is to become the best small country to do business in, then motivating employees across the public and private sector becomes an economic imperative,” Ms Corcoran said. “Organisations have the opportunity now to equip their employees with the right skills, opportunities for advancement and the right work-life balance. They risk losing out otherwise.”

She also pointed out that the desire for work-life balance was now a priority for both sexes. “The challenge for employers is to help employees fully integrate the right work-life balance over the course of their careers.”