The new mobility of executives

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64% of French people believe that they will change their profession three times during their working life, according to a study conducted by IFOP (1). A geographical change can be the decision-making factor of mobility. In order to benefit from an expansion of responsibilities and/or hierarchical promotion, managers benefit from internal or external mobility. Covid-19 is responsible for a drop in job opportunities. The latter impacts the opportunities offered by professional mobility. In a new quest for meaning in the professional environment, companies are offering new proposals for internal mobility.

Making sense of your job

40 years ago, the conviction of a job was not the same as it is today. A new brand model is gaining momentum: the employer brand. Before the lifestyle was then based on more primary needs. Quality and comfort of life at work were not among the criteria to be checked in the search for a job. From now on, the inhabitants of France are looking for meaning in their work. That’s why the employer brand attracts. Companies are now attractive by their place of work, their management and their loyalty. They even become an integral part of the lives of their employees. Google, for example, provides crèches, restaurants, relaxation areas, etc. team members. As a result, it has become one of the most attractive brands.

To take the plunge and decide to become an actor in professional mobility, some criteria are more decision-making than others. The aspiration for higher pay is highly appreciated. Giving meaning to one’s work and having a better balance of life are two criteria that are gaining a lot of ground also in the minds of the French. Internal mobility generally offers this desired pay rise, as well as a hierarchical promotion. External mobility, on the other hand, does not necessarily guarantee a salary increase but brings a gain in responsibilities which is a real factor of professional stimulation.

With the Covid-19, external mobility

Many opportunities are brought by professional mobility. However, the world of work is currently being disrupted by the Covid-19 crisis. According to a study by APEC (Association for the Employment of Executives), job openings in France will fall by 34% as of September 1, 2020, across all sectors and trades. This obviously impacts everyone’s professional alternatives. As a result, executives are less likely to change positions in a company outside their own. The safety of bouncing back without difficulty is currently taking a new look. This is why, although internal mobility has been fairly stable in recent years, it could offer similar modalities to external mobility, while ensuring that it retains a job. “At the beginning of 2020, nearly 7 out of 10 executives were planning to change their career path in the next three years,” according to the same study. The Covid-19 risks transforming this desire for external mobility into an internal one. An alternative that companies could welcome with intelligence. Indeed, this is the ideal time to retain its employees and bring them security, comfort and broadening responsibilities.

The French are more attentive to the professional opportunities that their jobs provide. They are much less hesitant to change jobs or even companies for their personal development. The dimension of work is not the same as it was decades ago. Internal and external mobility allow this change. This then leads to a restructuring of the way in which they manage their teams. The labour market in France is thus slowly slipping into a process where demand crosses supply, and less and less the opposite.

Sources

APEC Panorama 2020 Executive Mobility Study, July 9, 2020

APEC: www.apec.fr/

  1. IFOP study for Monster in 2017, among a sample of 1000 active individuals over the age of 18

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