More than half of employees planning a career change for early 2024 

More than half of employees are planning a career change for early 2024, motivated by the need for a salary increase, a survey an online recruitment platform published reveals.According to the source, the budget they allocate for holidays is higher than in previous years, amid rising prices.About 40% of employees say 2023 was better than 2022. However, 43% of employees looked for a new job in 2023, another 24% faced burnout, 15% worked to get a promotion at their current job and just as many struggled to increase their incomes to better cope with higher prices, the Bestjobs study shows.By 2024, 52% of respondents intend to change their current job in the first half of the year, while another 27% remain open to the possibility but have no concrete plans yet.When it comes to successes, over 40% of bestjobs survey respondents say the main good part of 2023 was that they achieved a work-life balance. At the same time, 15% feel fulfilled because they managed to increase their income, 14% because they completed an important and difficult project, 12% because they changed jobs, and 10% because they managed to keep their job. Improving mental health was an important achievement for another 12%.When asked about their current salary, 64% of employees said it was below the market average for them, which explains their high desire to look for a better job in the new year. 21% consider that they are paid at the level of market offers and only 5% said that their income exceeds the market average.When it comes to a new job, employees would like their future employer to offer them first of all promotion opportunities (85%), job stability (63%) and a healthy working environment (54%). Among the extra-salary benefits, most would prefer flexible working hours (60%), specialised courses and training (53%), the possibility to work remotely (38%) and more holidays (23%). Subscriptions to private medical clinics, private health insurance, voluntary private pension also remain at the top of the list of desired benefits.Romanian employees are expecting higher expenses during this period and are hoping for a Christmas bonus to compensate for the increased costs. While in previous years, almost 70% of respondents allocated a budget of up to 500 lei for gifts, now only 40% expect to limit themselves to this amount.According to the research, the recent price hikes have made Romanians consider higher budgets if they want to satisfy the same seasonal needs. In this regard, 20% allocate between 500 and 700 lei, and 22% plan to spend up to 2,000 lei. 18% however do not plan to buy any gifts.To combat the effects of high prices, 7 out of 10 employees hope to receive a bonus from their employer this Christmas, the Bestjobs survey also shows. Almost 40% say they would enjoy cash, 15% gift vouchers, 13% expect to receive specific holiday products, 10% 13th pay and 7% extra days off.The bestjobs survey was carried out between November and December on a sample of 1,300 internet users.Bestjobs has over 22 years of experience in the area. At any given time, there are over 35,000 jobs and 4.6 million professionals connected to the job market on bestjobs.