Engagement and retention: A snapshot of UK employees in 2026
New research by HR and payroll software provider Ciphr suggests that a quarter (24%) of UK workers want to move jobs this year.
The main driver for over a third (36%) of those considering a job change is feeling underpaid; with 37% of surveyed women and 34% surveyed men saying they wanted a higher salary.
Lack of recognition was the next most-common reason given for seeking new employment. There is a significant gender divide when it comes to people’s experiences of this, however. Female employees were almost twice as likely as their male counterparts to report feeling undervalued in their current job. Over one in four (28%) women compared to one in six (17%) men cited this as a reason for wanting to move on.
More women than men also said they wanted to leave their jobs due to a lack of career progression (24% vs 18%). While not enjoying their job was a factor for a similar number of employees (24% of women vs 18% of men).
In comparison, more male employees than female employees said they were seeking a change because they didn't like their manager (15% vs 12%).
And almost double the number of men than women (7% vs 3%) aren't happy that their role has been changed or impacted by AI.
How many people want to change jobs this year?
Why do people want to leave their jobs?
The top 20 reasons why UK workers are seeking an employment change:
They want a higher salary – they are feeling underpaid: 36%
Lack of recognition – they are feeling undervalued in their current job: 24%
It’s just time to move on: 24%
They want a more rewarding / fulfilling job: 23%
They don’t enjoy their job: 22%
Lack of job growth – they want more career progression / promotion opportunities / management responsibilities than their current employer offers: 22%
They feel like they're coasting / checked out / unengaged at work: 17%
They want to improve their work-life balance: 17%
They want a less stressful job / more manageable workload: 16%
Lack of good / effective leadership or management at their current job: 16%
They want to gain new knowledge and skills: 15%
They want to be able to work at home more of the time: 15%
They want a different career / to switch careers: 14%
They don’t like their manager: 14%
They want more job security: 13%
They want to reduce their working hours: 12%
They don’t feel supported by their team: 12%
They want to work for a company that’s more aligned to their values: 11%
Lack of communication / transparency at their current job: 11%
Their job isn’t challenging enough: 10%
Here's the full results ↓↓↓
The most common reasons why employees are considering leaving their jobs (by age)
Notes
Ciphr commissioned OnePoll to conduct a survey of 2,000 UK-based employees. The survey ran between 4-8 February 2026.
Over half (59%) of respondents are female, two-fifths (41%) are male, and 0.3% are non-binary. 2% of respondents are aged 18-24 years, 17% are 25-34-years, 28% are 35-44 years, 26% are 45-54 years, 21% are 55-64 years and 6% are 65 years old or older.
17% of survey respondents work in leadership or senior management roles at their organisations, 22% work in middle management positions, 13% in junior management, 16% are supervisors, and a third (32%) work in non-managerial or junior roles.
