Skip to content
CityAM
Main navigation
  • News
    • News
      • Latest Business News
      • Economics
      • Politics
      • Tech
      • Banking
      • FTSE 100 Live
      • Retail
      • Insurance
      • Legal
      • Property
      • Transport
      • Markets
    • From our partners
      • AON
      • Bayes Business School
      • Canada BIDs
      • Central London Alliance CIC
      • Destination City
      • Halkin
      • Olympia
      • Inside Saudi
      • Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
      • Santander X
      • YEAR SIX Dividend
    • Featured

      Heatwave fans demand for aircon stocks

      Submit a story

      Tell us your story.

      Submit
  • Opinion
  • Sport
    • Latest Sports News
      • Sport
      • Sport Business
    • From our partners
      • The Morning Briefing: SBS x CityAM
      • Aramco Team Series
      • LIV Golf
    • Featured

      Novak Djokovic joins investment firm with stake in Mexico’s Azteca Stadium

      Previews: The Championships - Wimbledon 2026

      Submit a story

      Tell us your story.

      Submit
  • Life&Style
    • Life&Style
      • Life&Style
      • Toast the City Awards
      • The Magazine
      • Travel
      • Culture
      • Motoring
      • Wellness
      • The RED BULLETiN
      • Do it with Shared Ownership
      • Media Speak Hub
    • Featured

      House of the Dragon’s Abubakar Salim dreams of Kenyan kebabs for his last supper

      Submit a story

      Tell us your story.

      Submit
  • Investec
  • Events
  • Latest Paper
Tuesday 22 March 2016 4:02 pm

UK workers much less interested in salary when job hunting than their global counterparts and much more interested in the job description and type of work

By: Hayley Kirton

Add as a preferred source on Google

You may think you can lure top talent to your company by offering them wads of cash, but, if you're recruiting for your UK office, you might be disappointed.

A study out today by ManpowerGroup Solutions has discovered that jobseekers in the UK are among the least likely to be motivated by salary, with only a quarter (27 per cent) ranking this as an important factor when looking for a new job, compared with a global average of 54 per cent.

Workers in China and Mexico are much more money-motivated, with 81 per cent and 73 per cent respectively rating the compensation on offer as one of the most important things they look for when making a career decision.

Instead, UK workers are far more interested in the type of work they'll be asked to do, with three-quarters (76 per cent) rating this as an important factor when making a career decision, compared with a global average of 56 per cent.

"As the talent shortage grows, making it more difficult to find candidates with the right skills, businesses should understand exactly what job seekers look for," said Kate Donovan, senior vice president of ManpowerGroup Solutions. "People with in-demand skills are making different career choices today based on lifestyle preferences and beliefs, which complicates traditional recruitment models and forces companies to think differently about their recruitment and workforce management strategies."

Jobseekers in the UK are also less likely to venture onto social media in a bid to find their dream job, with only one in five (18 per cent) using this as a way to gather more information about potential employers, compared with a global average of 30 per cent.

Other factors where UK workers strayed from their overseas colleagues included preference on geographic location, which 53 per cent in the UK ranked as important compared with 39 per cent worldwide, and opportunity for advancement, which 28 per cent in the UK rated important compared with 35 per cent worldwide.

Jim McCoy, vice president of ManpowerGroup Solutions, added: "From bold new strategies that involve collaboration within industries, to old-fashioned boots-on-the ground tactics, employers need to customise their outreach to attract and retain the best talent across the globe."

[infographic id="646"]

Share this article

  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Email

Similarly tagged content:

Sections

  • Markets & Economics
  • News

Categories

  • Business
  • Economics

Trending Articles

  • Revealed: Secret Treasury plan to tax State Pension before it is paid out

  • Two solicitors linked to Post Office scandal charged with misconduct

  • Burnham’s new chief of staff ran City firm advising Thames Water and rival Heathrow bidder

  • Barclays and Lloyds join banking sector plan for digital ID

  • Reeves’ new tax charge on cash ISAs faces fierce industry backlash

More from CityAM

  • Industry Execs Think Digital Transformation Is Working – but Staff Still Rely on Shadow IT to Get the Job Done

    Business Wire
  • Jenrick vows to partly undo Reeves’ £25bn employer NICs rise – for Britons

    Politics
    UK politician Robert Jenrick announces new tax cut policy at a press conference, standing at a podium with a flag backdrop.
  • Making the jump to self-employment could damage your pension savings

    Personal Finance
    In 2022, rolling Tube strikes led to massive queues for crowded buses. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
  • Labour warned not to kill off hybrid jobs millions rely on

    Politics
    London has defied national trends as job postings in the capital rose.
  • Working Brits are struggling to keep up with AI

    Tech
    London has defied national trends as job postings in the capital rose.
  • Adobe and LinkedIn target AI skills gap in marketing roles

    Tech
    Office for National Statistics
  • Jobs crisis: UK unemployment to hit highest level in a decade

    Business
    London office workers collaborating on AI and tech projects, surrounded by computers and digital interfaces in a modern wo...
  • Job vacancies fall again in unemployment risk 

    Economics
    People waiting outside a job centre, highlighting unemployment issues and job search challenges in the current economy.

CityAM Canada — business, markets and opinion for Canadian readers.

Sections

  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • AI
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Cities

Company

  • About
  • Contact

Legal

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2026 CityAM Canada. All rights reserved.
Terms · Privacy · Cookies