Survey Results: Why Don't Applicants Accept Jobs and What Causes Employees to Leave?

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 24, 2016) - Express Employment Professionals released new results today from a survey of businesses revealing the hurdles that stop applicants from accepting jobs, as well as the top reasons employees leave jobs.

Respondents were asked, "What hurdles stop applicants from accepting a job at your company?"

"Low pay" topped the list at 28 per cent, followed closely by "lack of advancement/opportunity" at 27 per cent. "Long hours" was cited by 18 per cent, 15 per cent listed "perfect fit," and 14 per cent selected "inflexible schedule."

Respondents were also asked, "What hurdles cause employees to leave a job?"

The top answer was "lack of advancement/opportunity" with 40 per cent. Second was "low pay" at 29 per cent. This was almost the reverse of results from the same question in 2015, when 40 per cent said "low pay" and 33 per cent said "lack of advancement."

"Not a good cultural fit," was the third highest answer at 28 per cent, followed by "long hours" at and "unlikeable boss/management," both at 18 per cent.

"Pay and advancement really do seem to be the driving factors when applicants and employees make decisions about the future of their careers," said Bob Funk, CEO of Express. "In a way, this is reflective of the economy in general. Many companies still struggle to offer competitive wages and may not be growing fast enough to offer upward advancement."

To view the graphic associated with this release, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/exp_hurdle.jpg

The survey of 390 businesses, which are current and former clients of Express Employment Professionals, covers hiring trends for the second quarter of 2016.

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bob Funk to discuss this topic, please contact Kellie Major at (613) 222-7488.

About Robert A. Funk

Robert A. "Bob" Funk is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Under his leadership, Express has put more than 6 million people to work worldwide. Funk served as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and was also the Chairman of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve.

About Express Employment Professionals and Express in Canada

Express Employment Professionals puts people to work. It generated $3.02 billion in sales and employed a record 500,002 people in 2015. Its long-term goal is to put a million people to work annually. Express launched in Canada in July 1996, with a franchise in London, Ontario, and since then, has expanded and grown across Canada significantly. There are currently 37 Express franchises in Canada-six in British Columbia, five in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan, 23 in Ontario and one in Nova Scotia.