Bullish Albertans are more likely to change their jobs in the next year than any other group of workers in the country.
And, according to a national survey, Albertans are also the group most prepared to start their own businesses.
“It’s not surprising,” says Robert Mansell, professor of economics at the University of Calgary. “When the economy is strong, you see a significant increase in job hopping and shopping.”
The survey, conducted by Adecco Employment Services, showed that within five years 50 per cent of Canadian workers expected to retrain, 41 per cent expected to begin working from home, and 32 per cent intended to start their own businesses.
Leading the way were Albertans: 14 per cent expected to leave their jobs within 12 months, double the national average, and 38 per cent said they are ready to start their own businesses.
Hardened by a boom-and-bust economy, and youthful independence, Albertans have always led the way in terms of mobility between jobs, says Mansell.
“The economy is internationally focused, and it’s been subject to lots of ups and downs in the international markets,” he says. “There’s always been a strong recognition that people have to adjust.
“Unlike in some regions where they’ve had government programs that pay people not to adjust, that’s not been true here. Most of the industries have been relatively unprotected — and likely for the better.”
Albertans, and especially Calgarians, have also concluded that there is little loyalty from companies, adds Kathleen Wollenberg, Calgary director of client services for Murray Axmith, a national placement agency. “When companies began downsizing, it took the employees some time to understand they didn’t have to be loyal back,” she said.
Now, she says, workers see other companies as “stepping stones,” and the fact that one in seven Albertans expect to switch jobs in the coming year is no surprise. It’s a great situation for the worker, not so wonderful for the employer, she adds.
“You’re reading about more companies trying to brand themselves as the organization of choice,” says Wollenberg. “They are just starting to ask the questions: ‘How do we get them from crossing the street to the other guy? How do we make the workplace better to keep these people?’ ”
Terry Lord, senior vice-president of Adecco in Toronto, a leading staffing services agency with 62 offices in Canada, said the survey indicates some trends he believes will continue even after this strong economic cycle abates.
“One thing I see, is that people like me in their mid-40s, because of the Internet and the virtual world, are willing to stay in a field for just five years and, more than that, are then ready to change careers altogether,” he says.
“People are looking to make their jobs fit with their lifestyle. That you can work out of your own home and make a living. I think people are beginning to tune in to that.”
Workers are taking night and weekend courses and are ready to jump jobs unless the company becomes more sensitive to their needs, says Lord. Companies that don’t offer training, good compensation and a career path ultimately will lose, he says.
The U of C’s Mansell doesn’t believe companies fully see the picture. “Well-managed companies should take care of their employees,” says Mansell. “But mergers, most of which fail badly, show companies are inadequate in dealing with employees.
“In the business world when you lose someone good, you just can’t go out and find someone else. And it usually costs more to replace that person.”
Mansell adds that he isn’t surprised half the work force expects to retrain. It wasn’t long ago that a bachelor’s degree was sufficient to land a good job, and only a decade ago when PhDs were considered overqualified for most jobs. It’s not the case anymore, he says.
While job-placement services officials suggest that many oil and gas workers, especially in Calgary, are starting their own consulting businesses or contracting out their work, pure career changes (i.e.: an accountant opening a bagel business) have held a slow, steady pace.
Although people say they “expect” to start their own business, reality will show less will do that, says Mansell.
“But there is no question that that part of the economy is growing.” People who do step out and go on their own, face a different way of managing their lives, he says.
“They have to spend more time arranging financial matters and so on to take care of the ups and downs. But if you do it properly, people do feel they have more control over their lives.”
