Almost two-thirds of Irish workers to ask for more money in next 12 months

Roughly two-thirds of Irish employees plan to ask their employer for more money in the next 12 months, while more than half will change jobs altogether in their hunt for better pay and conditions, a global survey by PwC has revealed.

This was based on a poll of more than 52,000 employees across the world, 521 of whom were based in Ireland. Some 56 per cent of Irish workers were less likely to feel that they are being fairly financially rewarded for their work compared to their global counterparts at 62 per cent, the survey found.

Meanwhile, a large majority of Irish workers believe their employer is not doing enough to address skills shortages in their workplace. Less than four out of 10 Irish employees said that their employer was investing in upskilling, compared with 40 per cent of global respondents.

Just 28 per cent said their employer was increasing wages to attract talent, slightly below the global average of 33 per cent.

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Age and gender demographics also played a significant role in determining survey respondents’ attitudes to their working situation. Globally women were 7 points less likely than men to say they are fairly rewarded financially, but still 7 points less likely to ask for a raise. Women were also 8 points less likely to ask for a promotion, and that request is more likely to fall on deaf ears – women are 8 points less likely than men to feel their manager listens to them.

Young workers, meanwhile, were more likely to express dissatisfaction with their current jobs compared with baby boomers and other older generations.

Globally Gen Z workers were less satisfied with their job and twice as likely as Baby Boomers to be concerned that technology would replace their role in the next three years.

Irish workers aged between 18 and 24 were also more concerned about being overlooked for work opportunities, more concerned about the impact of technology on their jobs and less satisfied with their job overall than their older colleagues.

Ger McDonagh, partner and head of PwC’s people and organisation division, said: “There is a tremendous need for businesses to do more to improve the skills of workers, while being conscious of the risk of polarisation if opportunities to develop aren’t provided right across society. At the same time employees are not just looking for decent pay, they want more control over how they work and they want to derive greater meaning from what they do.”