Survey reveals what young professionals want from employers

A new survey conducted by East Midlands Chamber’s network for young professionals has revealed what they want most from employers.

Flexible working, continuous personal development and maintaining a work-life balance are top of the list for the next generation of business, according to the report by Generation Next.

A healthy work-life balance was ranked as the most important aspect of a job by employees aged 18 to 35 in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, with 34% citing this as being above all other considerations.

This was followed by salary (30%), entrepreneurial freedom (20%), benefits (10%) and innovation (7%).

When asked how important hybrid and remote working is to securing a role, respondents gave it an average score of 7.3 out of 10.

Generation Next, which runs professional development events and mentoring services for 18 to 35-year-olds, carried out the survey with the aim to help businesses and other key stakeholders in the region understand the development needs and preferences of the future and existing workforce, as well as to align the network’s offering to members.

Lucy Robinson, director of resources at East Midlands Chamber and Generation Next lead, said: “Undertaking this survey has been a really important piece of work for us, not only to help the wider East Midlands business community to retain and attract young talent, but also to ensure our services are still relevant in developing the region’s skills.

“Our Generation Next board of champions, chaired by Daniel Nikolla and featuring young professionals representing a broad range of sectors across the region, have spearheaded this work as they felt it was integral to giving a voice to young people working in our businesses, while enabling the network to stay committed to our mission of helping the young business community in the East Midlands to thrive.”

Daniel commissioned the survey as part of his goals during his first year heading up the board.

He said: “I’m delighted to launch the results of our first survey, and I’d like to thank everyone who took part in the study.

“It is important to give young professionals a voice among our community to ensure we are retaining the top talent for the future of business.”

To view the survey results in full visit https://generationnextemc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Young-Professional-Survey-v3.pdf.