18.5% of Spanish workers under the age of 25 are actively seeking another job and, therefore, they are the group making the greatest effort, according to the Randstad Workmonitor report covering the first quarter of this year and that is based on more than 15,000 interviews. Employees aged 25 to 45 display the second highest rate, at 16.5%, followed by people over 45 (10%). Randstad stresses that, as people get older, they do not seek a job as actively as younger people.

All the age groups are actively seeking employment to a greater extent than the previous year, especially those under 25 years of age, with an increase of 1.5 points, following by professionals in the 25 to 45 age group and people over 45, both with an increase of half a point. In summary, taking all age groups into account, 14% of Spanish workers are actively looking for another job; half a point higher than in the first quarter of 2014.

The human resources group attributes this increase to the growing optimism generated by the improvement in the economic forecasts for 2015 and 2016, the fall in the unemployment rate and the increase in the number of people in work; which has encouraged many workers to look for another job either to improve their professional situation or to combine it with the job they already have.

Communication and financial services, the two extremes

By sectors, this study has found that communications (18%), manufacturing (18%), construction (16%) and agriculture (15%) have the highest rates compared to the rest and, therefore, the companies in these sectors are at greater risk of brain drain. At the opposite end of the spectrum we have financial services, health and education, with scores ranging from 9% to 11%.

Compared to other countries, the average number of Spanish workers actively seeking employment (14%) is higher than the figures found in the main European Union economies, such as France (13.5%) or Germany (12%). Sweden (24.5%) and Greece and Italy (18.5% in both cases) are the European countries with the highest levels, followed by the United Kingdom (15%), Denmark (14.5%) and Spain (14%). In the lower section of the ranking, below 10%, we have Austria, Belgium, Portugal and Luxembourg. Outside Europe, Spain is behind Australia (17%) and the United States (15.5%), but ahead of Canada (13.5%), China (13.5%) and Japan (13%).