Employees use social media mainly to present themselves personally

In most countries more than 50% of the employees have a social media profile according to findings covered in the latest Randstad Workmonitor. Countries where usage of social media is high are predominantly countries with a young workforce, such as China (90%) and India (90%). With 92% Chile has the highest share of employees with a social media profile; Japan as the lowest (43%).
Employees use social media to profile themselves personally rather than professionally. An exception is India where 78% of the employees also use social media to present themselves professionally. The majority of employees is aware that their social media profile can be viewed by employers.

Especially in China (83%), India (82%), Turkey (74%) and Chile (73%), employees believe that social media help them in finding a job. In these countries social media are used to get an idea about a company’s corporate culture and to prepare for a job interview.
India (70%), China (52%) and Singapore (48%) have the highest scores when asked if employers provide guidelines for the use of social media. In Czech Republic (12%) and Chile (17%) however, guidelines are only provided occasionally.

Quarterly recurring items

Employee confidence is increasing; the UK shows highest increase
The overall level of confidence in finding a new job within the next six months has increased. The highest increase is shown in the UK: 64%, which is 8% higher than in the previous quarter. In India and Poland the level of confidence declined but is still high compared to other countries.

Mobility: highest increase in Norway and Poland
With 106, the Mobility Index is about the same as three months ago. In Norway and Poland the Mobility Index increased considerably, 10 points or more, whereas Switzerland and India showed a decline of 10 and 9 points respectively. Although job mobility declined in India, it is still very high compared to the rest of the world.

Job satisfaction stable
Job satisfaction levels in most countries are more or less similar to the last quarter of 2010. Employees in France, Italy, Poland, Mexico and India have become more satisfied with their current employer than in Q4 2010. This quarter, Denmark (80%) and Norway(79%) have the most satisfied employees of Europe. Outside Europe, the most satisfied employees can be found in Canada (77%), India (77%) and Mexico (75%).

Personal motivation: Italians are the most ambitious in Europe
The most ambitious employees in Europe can be found in Italy. Almost eight out of ten employees are more or less focused on getting a promotion. Outside Europe, employees from India are most focused on getting a promotion (88%). Employees in the UK, Poland and Japan are more motivated on getting a promotion compared to three months ago. Both Scandinavian and Turkish employees are the least focused on getting a promotion.

A complete press report, including detailed regional differences, is available on http://www.randstad.com/press-room/research-reports

The Randstad Workmonitor
After the successful introduction of the Workmonitor in the Netherlands in 2003 and more recently in Germany, the survey now covers 29 countries around the world, encompassing Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. The Randstad Workmonitor is published four times a year, making both local and global trends in mobility regularly visible over time.

The Workmonitor’s Mobility Index, which tracks employee confidence and captures expectations surrounding the likelihood of changing employers within a six month time frame, provides a comprehensive understanding of job market sentiments and employee trends. In addition to measuring mobility, also employee satisfaction & personal motivation, as well as a rotating set of themed questions are part of the survey.

The quantitative study is conducted via an online questionnaire among a population aged 18-65, working a minimum of 24 hours a week in a paid job (not self-employed). The minimal sample size is 400 interviews per country, using Survey Sampling International. Research for the first wave 2011 was conducted from February 17 to 27, 2011.