The FINANCIAL -- NEW YORK, USA. GfK Custom Research North America, one of the leading global custom research companies, on September 8 revealed the findings of its national survey indicating that more than one in five currently employed Americans are willing to change jobs if given the opportunity, which could negatively impact employee retention.

However, 53 percent would prefer to stay with their current company even if they were offered a good job elsewhere.

During recessions, employees are far less likely to change jobs, while employers tend to lessen their investments in employee training and development in an effort to keep overhead lower.

The GfK Employee Engagement Pulse Survey was conducted using a recent GfK Roper OmniWebSM. The survey of 533 employed adults was weighted to ensure accurate and reliable representation of the total online population, 18 years and older, and screened for employment status.

"This number is important to watch as the economy continues to improve," said Thomas Hartley, Vice President of GfK Customer Loyalty and Employee Engagement. "Employees are more likely to stay with their company during lean times, and so companies have taken them for granted. When the economy strengthens, experience tells us that employees will begin weighing their options and considering other jobs. Since it takes up to 12 months to improve employee engagement, companies need to plan ahead and take the proper steps to ensure their employee retention rates remain high.”

Two other findings suggest an increased optimism among working Americans: 47 percent of employed adults are confident that the economy will recover in the next year, and 80 percent of fully employed adults are confident that they will be able to stay in their job for at least the next year.

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