Job seekers prefer SMEs to large companies
Employers have been losing employees for years for the same reasons - including the pandemic. The desire for a higher salary and a change in career are the driving forces for the majority of active and passive job seekers. SMEs are particularly attractive in this regard.
Despite the Corona pandemic, only a few job seekers are currently fearing for their jobs: only 17% of the respondents in the latest JobCloud (jobs.ch / jobup.ch) labor market survey are looking for a new job out of fear for their professional future - that's even 2% less than in the last survey in 2019. Respondents are looking for a new job primarily because they want more pay or a career change and opportunities for further development. Thus, the job search results more from a comfortable situation and less from a need.
SMEs keep up with large companies in terms of attractiveness
It is not the large, international companies that are at the top of job seekers' wish lists: The most attractive employers are small companies with 10 to 49 employees - especially among the younger generation - and medium-sized companies with 50 to 249 employees, across all age groups. "Of course, working for a well-known large company has great appeal for many. These often score with higher salaries and benefits. SMEs, on the other hand, usually impress with flatter hierarchies, the opportunity to take on responsibility and, not least, a more family-like atmosphere," explains Davide Villa, CEO of JobCloud. For some, however, it doesn't matter how big the company is - that's what a quarter of the respondents said.
Corona shifts job search even more to the Internet
In their search for the next job, job seekers have been applying online more and more for years: The use of all digital channels has increased. Over 70% of respondents use job portals for their search, with the two best-known Swiss portals jobs.ch and jobup.ch also the most popular in German and French-speaking Switzerland respectively. Job searches via social networks have also increased (36% in 2021 versus 32% in 2019), with office workers more likely to browse social media for new jobs (40%). Markedly less relevant this year was in-person - probably due in part to the Corona pandemic, which made networking events and business lunches impossible. In 2019, almost half (48%) used personal contacts, in 2021 it is just under 10% less (41%). In French-speaking Switzerland, however, personal contacts are still important: Here, 47% of all respondents rely on their personal network when looking for a job, compared with only 40% in German-speaking Switzerland. On the other hand, the French are much less likely to look for jobs directly on the company website of their preferred employer (45% vs. 54%). Respondents from German-speaking Switzerland thus seem to search more for jobs at specific companies, while the French use a broader search spectrum.
Source: JobCloud
