Advancement Opportunities and Work-Life Balance Are Top Non-Financial Reasons for Leaving a Job: Three-Quarters of Communication Professionals Are Satisfied with Their Salary Levels, But Two out of Five Plan to Leave Their Jobs in the Next Two Years

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San Francisco, CA, October 22, 2007 — According to the 2006-2007 Profile study, commissioned by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Research Foundation, 75% of communication professionals are satisfied with the salary levels for their jobs. However, only three out of five survey respondents, or 61%, said they planned on staying with their current organizations for the next two years.

Salary is clearly not the only reason for communication professionals to stay in their current jobs. In the IABC study, 28% of respondents cited "opportunities for advancement" as the primary non-financial incentive that might compel them to leave their current jobs. The second most popular incentive was "work-life balance" (23% of respondents), followed by "more interesting work" (20%). Other reasons for switching jobs included shorter commute time, better benefits package, better perks, closer to family, and better workplace environment.

When asked about their employment situation in two years, 61% of respondents said they saw themselves working in their present organizations; 29% indicated they would likely be working in other organizations, while 7% reported that they would be self-employed in the next two years.



The study also reported that 90% of communication professionals had received a raise in the past two years. Of these, 43% received a pay increase of 10% or higher, while 47% received a pay increase of 1% to 10%. When asked about their expected salary increases at their next reviews, 80% of respondents said they expected increases of 5% or less, while 16% of respondents expected 6% to 10% increases in salary. Further, 64% of respondents reported they would receive variable pay in 2006.



The IABC Research Foundation commissioned ResearchWorks Inc. to undertake the analysis and reporting of the Profile study. More than 3,000 IABC members from around the world participated in the study and answered questions about their organizations, salaries, job satisfaction, years of experience, educational background, and job responsibilities. (Salary data was converted to U.S. dollars for standardization, using the 2006 yearly average rate of exchange.)

The IABC study also examined the lengths of time the respondents had spent at the same organizations. Most professionals surveyed (41%) had been at their present organizations for one year to less than five years, followed by 24% who had been at their organizations for five to less than 10 years; 18% reported that they had been with their current organizations for less than one year.



The benefits most commonly received were medical plans (90%), dental plans (85%), paid vacations (83%), and life insurance (76%). The majority of respondents (86%) reported that their benefits were paid for by their employers.

For more information and charts on the Profile study findings, please visit the Resources section of the IABC News Centre.



About IABC

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) enables a global network of communicators working in diverse industries and disciplines to identify, share, and apply the world's most effective communication practices. Established in 1970, IABC serves more than 14,500 members in 70 countries and 100 chapters. For more information, visit www.iabc.com.

About the IABC Research Foundation

The IABC Research Foundation translates communication theory into practice, providing real-world knowledge and applications for the communication profession. Established in 1982, the foundation supports and advances organizational communication through research and other knowledge-management activities. Recent studies include The Business of Truth: A Guide to Ethical Communication, Best Practices in Employee Communication, and Thinking Big, Staying Small. For more information, visit www.iabc.com/rf.


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