Revealed: Employees stay in a job for 28 months before moving to a new opportunity

Research shows top ten job roles UK employees stay in the longest

Leading job search engine, Adzuna, has analysed data from 10,000 CVs to reveal the average length of time employees stay in each job role before going elsewhere.

According to Adzuna’s data, it takes UK employees 28 months on average before they get the new job itch.

Top ten job roles employees stay in the longest:

Job rolesTime stayedAverage salary
Enterprise Architect 7 years and 6 months£80,669
Machine Operator
5 years and 8 months £23,576
Shift Manager
4 years and 4 months £27,999
Team Leader and Director 3 years and 9 months £21,396, £45,405
Coach3 years and 7 months £36,118
Cashier and Shop Manager
3 years and 6 months £23,610, £25,253
Social Care Worker
3 years and 4 months £29,804
Cleaner Casual and Chief Executive Officer
3 years and 3 months £16,247, £42,673
Office Manager3 years and 2 months £33,025
Chief Marketing Officer 3 years and 1 month £46,712

At the other end of the spectrum, the data also explored the roles employees are ditching the quickest.

Top ten job roles employees stay in for the least amount of time:

Job roleTime stayedAverage salary
Medical Sales Representative 11 months £37,339
Marketing Assistant1 year and 1 month £28,255
Full Stack Developer1 year and 2 months £55,575
Teaching Assistant, Social Worker and Researcher 1 year and 3 months £19,200, £43,335, £38,584
General Assistant and Construction Engineer1 year and 4 months £23,767, £41,173
e-Commerce Business Analyst, Analyst, Waiter/Waitress, Ambassador, Customer Service 1 year and 5 months £50,770, £42,651, £23,324, £26,971, £20,524
Executive1 year and 6 months £37,754
Test Engineer, Graphic Designer, Receptionist, Kitchen Porter, Tutor, Personal Assistant1 year 7 months £42,348, £33,177, £22,757, £18,889, £49,581, £22,635
Secretary, Healthcare Assistant, Accountant, Accounting Assistant, Barperson, Web Developer, Sous Chef1 year and 8 months£30,118, £27,068, £37,974, £28,896, £21,500, £44,512, £25,911
Customer Assistant, Sales Adviser, Research Associate, Programme Manager, Office Administrator1 year and 9 months£23,130, £26,400, £38,538, £45,799, £23,623

These findings suggest, it’s not all about salary when it comes to an employee’s length of service. While the role keeping staff the longest (Enterprise Architect) does have the highest salary, the second longest earns below the national average at £23,576.

Additionally, employees in the above national average salary roles such as e-Commerce Business Analyst (£50,770) are ditching their roles quickly (after one year and five months on average).

When it comes to how to retain staff, YouGov data shows there’s a natural desire for a good salary and benefits among UK employees, with over a third (35%) looking for a higher salary and one in five (19%) seeking benefits like healthcare, childcare and holiday allowances. Outside of benefits though, employed Brits are looking for a good work life balance (31%), variety in their projects (10%) and the ability to learn from their employers (17%).

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, comments: “Sometimes life can get in the way and changes in circumstance can inevitably force people to move on quicker than expected, but this data gives job hunters a good outline of the roles that have the most longevity.

“In terms of what employers can do to create the best possible working environment for staff, it’s clear from what YouGov can show us that while monetary benefits can help, it’s opportunities for development and progression, as well as a good work/life balance that make people more inclined to stick around.”

Recruiters love this COMPLETE set of Accredited Recruitment & HR Training – View Training Brochure

Comment on this story

The British Institute of Recruiters is the Professional Body operating The Recruitment Certification Scheme

Send this to a friend