Johannesburg – South African millennials want flexibility in their jobs, a survey revealed.
The Global Millennial Viewpoints Survey for 2016, released earlier this year, showed that millennials value a work/life balance when seeking jobs. The survey was conducted across 30 countries, with 7 600 respondents aged between 16 and 24.
Global statistics revealed that 56% of participants want flexible work hours and a work/life balance, compared with the 63% of South African respondents.
Further, just under half (49%) of respondents said they want flexibility to move between different regions and countries. A third of global respondents seek opportunities to work in different countries.
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This echoes findings of the Universum Global survey on employer attractiveness, released last week.
The survey found that students are interested in international careers as well as jobs that offer work-life balance, security and stability.
Earlier this year, the Deloitte Millennials survey showed that employees were growing concerned about job security. Uncertainty in the geopolitical space had made millennials more anxious about their career prospects.
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The Deloitte survey showed that globally, nearly two-thirds of millennials preferred full time employment. Additionally, 67% of these millennials also believe that flexible working arrangements would have a positive impact on their productivity.
Flexibility at work in turn enhances work life balance, and increased their engagement with work.
Businesses see the benefits of flexibility in their work environments. About 62% of businesses agreed that flexibility contributes to the organisations ability to meet its objectives. Over half (56%) of businesses feel that flexibility also improves the organisation’s financial performance.