11 in every 100 adults will look to change jobs in 2021

In the coming year 384,700 adults will look to change their jobs.

According to the latest Horizon Research Employment Forecast Monitor, 11% of adults will look for new jobs, an increase of 133,000 (and up from 7%) since the last measure in August 2020.

The number of adults who think it will be easy to change jobs is up from 86,300 in August to 140,200, perhaps reflecting confidence in New Zealand’s economic prospects.

Horizon says this indicates employers will need to be active if they want to keep employees.

Job loss expectations:

Meantime, 255,200 adults think they will lose their jobs and have difficulty finding another during the next 12 months.

This equates to 7% of adults and is about at the same level as in August 2020.

Heading overseas to work:

The research also finds 68,400 adults intend going overseas to work in the next year, 32,400 of them temporarily. This could also indicate possible demand for COVID-19 isolation and quarantine facilities should they return within the next 12 months.

The projections are drawn from a December 2020 Horizon survey of 1,595 adults nationwide, representing the 18+ population at the last census. At a 95% confidence level, the maximum margin of error on the overall sample is +/- 2.5%.

For further information please contact:

Graeme Colman, Principal, Horizon Research, email gcolman@horizonresearch.co.nz, telephone +64 21 48 576.