Are your employees jumping ship a little too soon for your liking? Getting them to stay may take more than money, according to a recent survey by Leger Marketing in Toronto.

Commissioned by Toronto-based recruitment firm Morris Group International, the survey – which polled more than 800 top executives in all industries across the Greater Toronto Area during fall 2002 and again this spring – found that money was indeed a big factor in job choice. More than half (53%) said it was the main reason for choosing an employer. Career development was a close second at 42%. But 76% of respondents also said the quickest way to advance in their current careers was to change companies.

Barbara Morris, president of Morris Group International, presented some of the survey findings at the Canadian Marketing Association conference held April 28 to 30 in Montreal. She says the survey confirmed that the Canadian job landscape is on the verge of a ‘talent crisis.’

Morris believes this is due to vast numbers of retiring baby boomers, along with a rising demand for new talent due to companies having put off hiring.

Added to that, she says a key reason people stay in jobs is for a challenging work environment where they can develop skills. But, according to the Leger survey, many employees aren’t getting assistance in that regard. Only a third (32%) of respondents said their managers take an active interest in their careers, and 44% felt they didn’t have the necessary tools to succeed in their first three weeks on the job. Says Dave Scholz, VP at Leger, ‘You’re setting someone up for failure.’

Morris says these occurrences give rise to ‘passive job seeking,’ where a candidate is always on the lookout for other opportunities. What is the answer? She believes the number-one thing an employer can do is communicate with its staff. ‘[Managers] need to find out what their employees need from them.’