As Labor Day approaches, Americans are thankful to have a job–any job. But that attitude could change in the coming year if the economy rebounds.
Job security is the number one worry of workers, according to data in Yankelovich Inc.’s Monitor survey of consumer attitudes, said J. Walker Smith, president of the Chapel Hill, NC-based consulting firm.
“Employees are willing to stay in jobs that are not fulfilling, or paying well, simply because they feel they have no alternatives,” said Smith.
But that won’t last forever, he added, noting employers should prepare for an attitude adjustment if the job market becomes more robust thanks to an economic upturn.
“The next recovery is unlikely to see the same kind of rebound in job commitment and career ambitions that we saw after the recession of the early ’90s,” he said. “Baby boomers are older now and approaching retirement; Gen-Xers are unwilling to make the family trade-offs Boomers made at the same life stage.”
Smith contends that once the economy gets out of third gear, a new view of work will manifest itself.
“As the economy improves, people will be more likely to act on their newly found disconnection to the workplace,” he said. “This may mean leaving their current jobs in favor of work they find more fulfilling.”
Understanding more about the underlying factors in job satisfaction and worker productivity may be paramount to retaining workers in light of a recovering economy, Smith added.
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