research shows that it’s no longer only about what you do, but why, how and who you do it with.

For the first time in Workmonitor’s 22-year history, work-life balance surpasses pay as the leading motivator
Trust between employers, managers and talent remains in contention, with a third (30%) not trusting their managers to have their best interests in mind
Talent are willing to take action if their demands are not met, as almost half (44%) have quit because of a toxic workplace - a relative increase of 33% compared to last year
To thrive in 2025, Randstad’s CEO calls on employers to adopt talent strategies that embrace this new workplace baseline, or risk falling behind.

Randstad’s latest Workmonitor finds that a new ‘workplace baseline' has emerged. The research, which surveyed over 26,000 workers in 35 markets across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas, found that despite the challenging economic landscape, geopolitical shifts and technological advances, talent continues to have multifaceted expectations, reshaping the future of the workplace.

For the first time in Workmonitor’s history, work-life balance is deemed more important than pay (83% vs 82%). The report shows that talent prioritizes personalization, community and future-ready skilling, and employers need to be ready to respond.

Talent are taking action if their expectations are not met, as almost half (45%) say they have campaigned for better conditions at work. This is further evidenced by 44% reporting they have quit a job because they thought their workplace was toxic, a relative increase of over 33% compared to last year.

motivated by personalization.

The report shows that talent wants their workplace to align with their values and preferences, as a third (29%) have already quit because they didn’t agree with the viewpoints or stances of their leadership. Up by a relative increase of over 26%, close to half (48%) wouldn’t accept a job if the company didn’t share their social and environmental values. A similar proportion (43%) have considered leaving because of their employer’s stance on political issues.

Talent also wants alignment on flexible working. Close to a third (31%) have left a job because it didn’t provide enough of it. Younger workers are more likely to enjoy it as a benefit, with close to half (40%) of Gen Zs saying they’ve been given more flexibility in terms of location in the past six months compared to just 17% of Baby Boomers.

fostering a sense of community.

Over the decades, the steady rise of individualism has led many to seek a sense of purpose and connection in their professional lives. We now see that the vast majority (83%) of talent also want their workplace to provide a sense of community. Over half (55%) are willing to quit if they feel they don’t belong - a substantial increase from last year’s 37% global average.

In some cases pay is deprioritized over community at work, as a third (36%) of respondents wouldn’t mind earning less money if they had friends at work. At the same time, this has a bearing on talent’s productivity, as a strong majority (85%) believe they perform better on the job if they feel a sense of community with their colleagues.

skilling opportunities are non-negotiable for talent but employers need to step up.

Workmonitor highlights that learning and development continues to be essential for talent, yet there’s an expectation-reality gap. Last year, 29% said they would quit if they weren’t provided development opportunities to future-proof their careers, a figure sharply climbing to 41% this year. AI is the most sought after learning and development opportunity (23%), followed by IT and technological literacy (11%) and management and leadership skills (7%).

Despite this demand, over a third of talent (36%) report not receiving such training opportunities from their employers. This tallies with Randstad’s employer data which shows that only 9% of businesses offer coaching programs that are open to all employees. Compounding this, demand for inherent skills such as continuous learning, resilience, empathy, and ethical judgment has surged by 81%.

despite macroeconomic headwinds, RTO debate continues.

The return-to-office (RTO) debate shows no sign of slowing down. Given the choice, talent were most likely (26%) to want to work in the office three days a week. However, according to their reported company policies, 31% of employers want talent in full time, with less than a third (29%) expecting three days or less.

Randstad’s in-demand skills report showed that fully remote roles have declined by around 50%, while hybrid roles surged 300%.

There’s a breakdown of trust when it comes to flexible working, as over a quarter (28%) of talent don’t think their manager trusts them to maintain productivity while working from home.

talent-manager trust gap.

In addition to the mistrust on RTO, there are broader trust gaps forming between talent and their managers. Nearly a third (30%) feel they can’t trust their manager to have their best interests in mind, and even more (33%) believe they can’t trust their manager with career progression.

As a third (31%) have already quit a job because they couldn’t trust their leadership team, it’s a business imperative to ensure these relationships are strong and mutually beneficial as part of the new ‘workplace baseline’.

Randstad CEO, Sander van ‘t Noordende, commented: “Many expected the challenging economic conditions of 2024 to temper talent expectations, but the Workmonitor shows the opposite has occurred. We have seen a new baseline established with talent continuing to hold multifaceted expectations.

“For today’s talent, the significance of work is complex and needs to be personalized. They are setting the terms on what truly matters to them as individuals and within their communities. Successful businesses are those that will adapt and adjust to this new talent baseline.The solution lies in empowering our key resource: people.”

about randstad.

Randstad is a global talent leader with the vision to be the world’s most equitable and specialized talent company. As a partner for talent and through our four specializations - Operational, Professional, Digital and Enterprise - we provide clients with the high-quality, diverse and agile workforces that they need to succeed in a talent scarce world. We help people secure meaningful roles, develop relevant skills and find purpose and belonging in their workplace. Through the value we create, we are committed to a better and more sustainable future for all.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Randstad operates in 39 markets and has approximately 40,000 employees. In 2023, we supported 2 million talent to find work and generated a revenue of €25.4 billion. Randstad N.V. is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam. For more information, see www.randstad.com

about workmonitor.

The Randstad Workmonitor 2025 explores the views of working people in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America. Data was collected from 26,778 respondents in in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay between 7 October 2024 and 6 November 2024.

For this research, Randstad partnered with Evalueserve, a global research and analysis firm.

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