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Global consultancy firm McKinsey calls it the Great Attrition; here it has the moniker of the Great Resignation.
Whatever you call it, the bottom line is that, as a result of the pandemic, employee values have changed in relation to their working lives. This is encouraging some workers to look beyond their current jobs at alternative opportunities.
Research from the University of Limerick-based Kemmy Business School suggests that 41% (of 1,000 surveyed) see their future career being outside of their current organisation.
Aside from new opportunities, many having experienced new working arrangements during COVID-19 are looking at how their employers intend to manage the working environment post-COVID-19 and are willing to move to secure the flexibility that they have become accustomed to.
Despite their best efforts, many companies don’t know how to deal with the new reality and are making ineffective moves based on faulty assumptions
Globally, recruitment and retention issues are widespread.
This is not just an Irish or agri-food industry issue and this disruption to the jobs markets is likely to persist and perhaps even accelerate.
Despite their best efforts, many companies don’t know how to deal with the new reality and are making ineffective moves based on faulty assumptions.
A key finding of the Irish Farmers Journal Agri Jobs Survey is that staff value a blended working environment. As we emerge from this pandemic, the importance of the working environment is a red flag for employers.
Employers surveyed for this focus said that they found it hard to compete with other industries when trying to recruit and retain staff.
Pharma, med-tech and tech companies have been serious disruptors to the jobs market in Ireland.
Employees will move if alternative jobs offer better working conditions, pay and benefits.
The jobs market has been fundamentally changed by the pandemic
This was seen through the Celtic Tiger years as people exited the agri sector to go into construction.
With the drive to retrofit 500,000 homes under the Climate Action Plan, there will once again be a massive recruitment drive for construction workers.
This is already putting pressure on food and agribusiness employers.
The jobs market has been fundamentally changed by the pandemic. The challenge for agriculture and food companies now lies in their adaptation to these changes in the post-COVID-19 world.
As 90% of employees continue to see opportunities in the agri-food industry, employers need to make sure that this confidence is rewarded.
McKinsey claims that if companies take meaningful action, the Great Attrition could become the Great Attraction.
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