Salary remains the main criterion for choosing a job

The pandemic has produced several changes in the labor market. After the period of adaptation to the new situation, things return to a path somewhat close to the classic one, in which the salary is the main criterion by which the job is chosen. The salary, the balance between personal and professional life and the good relationship with the manager are the criteria that matter most to Romanians when it comes to choosing a job, according to the data of a specialist study, carried out by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), The Network, The Stepstone Group and eJobs.ro. The study also shows that, unlike the situation in Romania, at the global level employees place the highest value on job stability. Also at the global level, the second most important element is the balance between personal and professional life and only then remuneration. Stability at work is in fourth place in the ranking made by Romanian employees. Other aspects that I consider when choosing a job are the relationship with colleagues, feeling appreciated for the work they do, opportunities for professional development, feeling that their work has meaning, the reputation of the employer or the number of vacation days per who have them within the company. Roxana Drăghici, Head of Sales at eJobs.ro, an online recruitment platform from Romania, said: "It is interesting that we do not find extra-salary benefits in this list, which shows us that Romanians have rethought reporting on career and job in last period. The importance of the salary cannot be dethroned, but, beyond this criterion, all the others that weigh heavily in the eyes of the employees are more related to relationships, organizational culture and reputation than concrete material incentives". According to the research, at the local level differences appear between respondents depending on the age category they are in. Thus, the salary is the most important only for those who are between 21 and 30 years old. Thus, for the very young, respectively with under the age of 20, the most important thing is the compatibility between their values and those of the potential employer.Those in the 31-40 age group value first and foremost the balance between personal and professional life. From the age of 51 and up, the most important thing is the good relationship with colleagues or the appreciation they receive from the manager for the work they do.It is also interesting what matters the least, depending on the segment age. For those who are less than 20 years old, the number of vacation days they are entitled to annually is the criterion they look at the least. The benefits are on the last place for those who are between 21 and 30 years old and between 41 and 50 years old, the reputation of the employer matters the least for candidates in the 31-40 years segment. Towards the end of your career, i.e. from the age of 51 and above, the possibilities for career development and the possibility to work in a creative environment matter the least. The study was conducted between October and December 2023 on a sample of 150,000 respondents from 185 countries, including Romania.