New research about where leaving employees 30 and under go shows significant trends in staff retention for 2014. Find out the employee motivation behind voluntary leavers.

Where Leaving Employees 30 and Under Go

great{with}talent has collected exit data from 5,552 employees 30 and under. The results show why employees leave in 2014.

The following charts show the type of role, level of role, new employer and new salary of staff who have left their position in the past 12 months. This data can be used to inform staff retention strategies in 2014.

Read: Why Employees 30 and Under Leave and Staff Retention Strategies 2014.

Type of Role

Unlike the overall group, the largest group of staff 30 and below chose a different role in a different industry (32.9%). Whereas fewer chose a similar role in the same industry (27.7%) as their new role.

Similarly fewer chose a similar role in the same industry (23.5%). Likewise, less moved to a different role in the same industry (15.7%).

This shows a greater willingness amongst generation Y employees to choose an entirely new career path. By having an honest conversation during recruitment organisations can find the right fit for their company.

Read: Meeting New Employee Expectations of Staff 30 and Under.

Level of Role

A greater number of employees 30 and under also listed a step up in their career (57.9%) as their staff turnover driver. Whereas fewer chose to move for a role at a similar level (30.8%).

Again, a smaller amount chose a step down (2.4%). Whilst more listed it as hard to say (8.7%) possibly due to the increased amount who changed both role and industry.

This shows generation Y employees’ focus on career progression and as such staff engagement strategies should focus on this need for this group. This can increase productivity, improve customer service and decrease employee turnover.

Read: Gen-Y Employees and Staff Engagement Strategy.

New Employer

The majority of leaving employees 30 and under chose a large commercial new employer (40.5%), this includes organisations with over 1,000 employees. This is slightly less than the overall group.

Whilst some chose a small commercial organisation (28.7%), less than 1,000 employees. This is a larger amount than the average.

Whereas, even more moved to the public sector (12.3%) in the past 12 months. Additionally, fewer chose charities (4.9%), more chose other industries (9.1%) and less chose none or self-employment (2.9%).

This may suggest that employees 30 and below are more willing to work in small commercial industries. They are, however, less likely to make a risky move to self-employment.

Read: HR Onboarding New Employees and Why New Starters 30 and Under Leave.

New Salary

Significantly more employees 30 and under left their role for a higher salary (59%). Once again this shows the need for career progression with regards to the obvious: pay and promotions.

These results show how exit surveys can offer key insights that can help employee retention strategies. If a large amount leave for pay then steps can be taken to offer a more competitive rate.

If employees are leaving for bigger challenges and progression then offering more opportunities, training and employee rewards can increase staff retention. If employees leave for another industry then steps need to be taken to make the work more engaging and fun.

Contact great{with}talent and find out more about their LastOpinion online exit surveys.

(Main image from Better Business)