TeamLease Services, India’s largest staffing company, today released the survey “Why youth pick and chuck jobs” to understand the basis of job selection / rejection by today’s youth. This is the third survey commissioned by TeamLease in a series to understand “India’s new world of work”.

Says Surabhi Mathur, General Manager, Permanent Staffing, TeamLease Services, “The survey captures some of the implications of the youthification of India’s workforce and their changing view of employment. Today’s youth has higher aspirations, is more impatient, has more choices and does not view employment as a relationship but as a transaction. This “taxicab relationship” has important consequences for Corporate India’s strategy and tactics for recruiting, retention and talent development”

A structured questionnaire was administered by global research firm Synovate for TeamLease using a mix of telephonic and computer-aided-telephonic-interviewing (CATI) technology to two types of Target Groups: Youth below the age-group of 25 years across eight major cities (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune) for a sample size of 443 and HR Heads across the cities (Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai) for an indicative sample size of 52.

Report Summary

Ø Office locale and convenience of commuting have emerged as primary criteria for accepting and keeping jobs amongst the younger generation.

Ø Stress over job security compels young employees to look at ‘better job opportunities elsewhere’. This, coupled with work-life imbalance, is key contributors to employee disengagement.

Ø ‘Unmet expectations’/ ‘promises not kept’ are also large contributors to employee ‘disenchantment’ and ultimately, attrition.

Ø “Marriage” and “Starting own business” are least considered reasons for leaving the company.

Ø Despite the popular misnomers that today’s youth have short lived ambitions, are opportunistic and only money-oriented. ‘Future career opportunities’ reflected as one of the key influencers for picking jobs. Most respondents agreed on ‘Future Career Opportunities’ being an important aspect. At the same time, ‘Job Profile’ was highlighted as the next most prominent criteria for talent attraction.

Ø A large number of respondents agreed that “Growth Opportunities” and “Job profile that matches future career plans” did form an integral factor to promote longevity at the organization.

Ø “Financial Independence” and “Supporting Family” continue to be drivers for youth taking up employment. A vehement disagreement on “Materialistic Needs” being reasons to take up jobs was unanimous.

The changing HR domain draws new parameters for measuring success. Ability to attract the best talent (at the most competitive salaries) and successful retention of employees is now the all consuming mantra for all HR Managers. But is there really a synergy between “expectations” and “aspirations”? Are organizations aligned to the changing needs and desires of the younger lot?

While many commonalities exist between the youth and the HR community such as stress laid on ‘Workplace Environment’, ‘Future Career Opportunities’ and ‘Job Profile’, the difference of opinion lies in factors like ‘Flexibility of Time and office travel time’, ‘Social Status’ and ‘Low Compensation’ reflected in the detailed survey.

Some observations are more stark that the others, having geographical implications too.

· 80% of the youth gave “Corporate/Brand image” high priority while choosing a job, and there was a buy in on the same by most HR professionals too.

Surprisingly, 18% Mumbaikars expressed willingness to ‘go down the unbeaten path’ and do away with the so-called “Branded” organizations.

· Almost 90% of the youth stressed on the money-mantra while accepting a job, though Ahmedabad seemed to deviate a bit with just 70% acceptances.

Overall, HR professionals agreed that on “Compensation & Benefits” high competitiveness existed, however in Mumbai almost 45% of the HR members stood undecided if that was the fact, and 18% in Bangalore disagreed.

Low Salaries was also the most cited reason for retrenchment – however a vehement 20-30% youth and HR in Bangalore & Hyderabad denied this.

· Youth and HR folks agreed that ‘Future Career Opportunities’ was a clear criterion for selection; once again surprisingly 18% of the HR folks in Bangalore disagreed.

80% of the youth also expressed a greater retention of organizations where the ‘Profile which matches the future plan’.
Barring a flat 18% disagreement from Bangalore, all HR folks were in consensus too.

· “Location of Office” & “Convenience of Travel” was a unanimous buy-in from job seekers & the HR fraternity; except an 18% disagreement from the Mumbaikar & 10% from Kolkata – guess travel is a way of life more than a choice parameter here!

· ‘Gain experience for future studies (MBA programmes)’ is what the 60-80% youth dream to do although 30% of them pose a neutral response. However, over 80% of HR professionals endorse the trend in cities except Hyderabad and Mumbai with over 20% disagreeing.

· Although the same percentage of youth and HR heads in Mumbai vouches for ‘international travel opportunity’ as the secondary parameter in motivating the young workforce, there is a stark difference in the opinion of the youth and the HR community in Chennai and New Delhi. In Chennai only 38% of youth agree to this factor when compared to almost 76% of HR professionals.

· At least 50% of the youth across all cities want to enjoy the ‘enhanced social status’, with Bangalore’s young showing the highest degree of disagreement. There is a difference in opinion in Hyderabad’s youth and HR community with 54% of the former and only 40% of the latter thinking on the same lines.

· Even though there is a major consensus amongst youth and HR managers that ‘Long working hours’ facilitates attrition, a significant 20% youth in Mumbai, Hyderabad & Bangalore disagree – different work ethos?

· “Company Policy” continues to be a cause for irritation, agree youth and HR alike, surprisingly high agreement in Pune with 90% youth attributing it to cause for exit.
However, unanimous 20% disagreement from Mumbai youth and HR about this factor being such a dramatic influencer in attrition.

· 73% youth in Pune agree that ‘Peers/ colleagues moving out’ accentuates their own move out, and over 40% of the respondents in Mumbai & Delhi and over 20% in rest of the cities disagree.

Surabhi Mathur adds “With the growing concept of “made-to-order” jobs and sky-rocketing aspirations of youth today, the HR fraternity’s challenge increases manifold. Moving from ‘administrative surveillance’ to ‘strategic engagement’ is and will remain the key parameter to success.”

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TeamLease Services is India’s largest Staffing Company having pioneered temporary staffing in India. Currently they have over 74,000 employees on the rolls, presence across 470 locations with 24 offices in India. TeamLease’s biggest visible accomplishment is the speed of scaling (have hired somebody every 5 minutes for the last four years, weekends and nights included). In the permanent recruitment domain, TeamLease Services provides executive search, database selection, advertised selection and turnkey solution, withdomain experts to anchor specific industry verticals. TeamLease Services is head quartered in Bangalore.

About Teamlease’s “India’s changing world of work” survey series

Teamlease, as a market leader, has self-interest in a deeper understanding of India’s labour market changes and makes substantial investments in research. The current survey series aims to look at India’s labour markets from an angle to conventional thought. The first series looked at romance in the workplace while the second one covered the issues of two career couples.