THREE out of five workers will consider looking for a new job this year, mainly to seek higher pay or a better boss, a study has shown.

Research by Investors in People highlighted how poor management was leading many workers to feel unhappy at their current place of work, leading them to wonder if the grass is greener elsewhere.

A survey of more than 1,000 workers found that one in 10 of those surveyed believed the jobs market had improved since a year ago, fancying their chances at finding alternative employment elsewhere.

One in four were actively looking for a new job, with pay being cited as the biggest gripe, followed by poor management and not feeling valued coming in second and third respectively.

More than one in three of those questioned said that they wanted more flexible hours ahead of a decent pay rise.

Paul Devoy, of Investors in People, said: “We were expecting to see British workers planning to stay put in the face of economic uncertainty, but we’ve seen exactly the opposite - a significant rise in people seeking to move employers in 2017 and a jump in jobs confidence.

“Workers are telling us they want to move for better pay, better management and flexible working. This sends a clear message to British business to invest in your people or risk losing them.

“With wages stagnating and a strong jobs market there is a clear imperative to address workers’ pay and tackle poor management.

“Poor management, not feeling valued and no career progression are critical factors for workers being unhappy in their jobs.

“Employers need to really invest in their people in 2017 to attract and retain the best talent.”

The startling figures were not limited to just those surveyed by Investors in People.

A separate study by employment group Reed confirmed that many workers are preparing to switch employers in 2017.

A survey of 2,000 workers found that many wanted a better work-life balance or chance to improve their skills, hoping that a new job would improve their current situation.

James Reed, chairman of job website reed.co.uk, said: “We’ve seen more new jobs posted this year than last.

"We continue to see growth in key sectors, including manufacturing and construction, and the signs for January are that people who are looking to make their next career move will have a wide choice of vacancies.”

But he added a cautionary warning to those considering looking elsewhere.

“The medium to long term outlook is much less certain," he said.

"After the relief of seeing the jobs market show resilience after the Brexit result, we are seeing early warning signs that economic and political uncertainty, the falling value of the pound and turbulence in the financial markets are having an impact on the creation of new opportunities, with annual decreases in new jobs of 15 per cent in banking and 11 per cent in apprenticeships.

“Now is the time for the Government to address this uncertainty to safeguard jobs and livelihoods, both now and in the future.”

  • TOP bosses will already have made more money by today than the typical worker will earn all year, new figures reveal. Today has been dubbed Fat Cat Wednesday, as executives will pass the average salary of £28,200 by midday, said the High Pay Centre.

The think tank said the figures confirm how pay differs “dramatically” for senior bosses compared with everyone else.

The median pay for a chief executive in a FTSE100 company was almost £4 million in 2015, or £1,000 an hour, compared to the national living wage of £7.20, said the report. The figure makes the “generous assumption” that top bosses work 12 hours a day, most weekends and take fewer than 10 days holiday a year.

The High Pay Centre estimated it would take around 28 hours' work to pass the UK average wage.

High Pay Centre director Stefan Stern said: “Our new year calculation is not designed to make the return to work harder than it already is. But Fat Cat Wednesday is an important reminder of the continuing problem of the unfair pay gap in the UK.

"We hope the Government will recognise that further reform to pay practices are needed if this gap is to be closed.”

“That will be the main point in our submission to the business department in its current consultation over corporate governance reform.

“Effective representation for ordinary workers on the company remuneration committees that set executive pay, and publication of the pay ratio between the highest and average earner within a company, would bring a greater sense of proportion to the setting of top pay.”