Salary, conciliation and good work environment, in that order. Salary is again this year the main factor in choosing where to work. As highlighted in the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2022, 68% of Spaniards choose an attractive salary and benefits as the main reasons for selecting a company in which to carry out their professional career, a percentage higher than the average European, which stands at 66%.

Reconciliation between the work environment and personal life remains the second most important factor, since it is chosen by almost two out of three professionals (65%), a trend higher than that of the rest of Europe, located at 61%. .

In third place is having a pleasant work environment, a trait chosen by 62% of professionals in our country and very much in line with our European neighbors (63%). Other aspects valued by more than half of the Spanish professionals are job security (chosen by 60% of the workers), the possibilities of professional development (54%) and interesting job content (51%).

If we compare Spain with the rest of Europe, the three most important factors when choosing a company, the preferences of workers in our country are very different from the European average. In Europe, financial health comes first, while in Spain the key factor is attractive salary and benefits.

According to Oriol Mas, general director of Randstad Training and Human Capital Consulting, «the economic recovery, after the toughest months of the pandemic, has as one of its main obstacles the lack of talent, a problem for which companies cannot find the professionals they need for their companies. To tackle it, we recommend employers not to lose sight of what professionals are looking for in companies, since, beyond salary, they demand aspects such as conciliation, the work environment or job security.

Compared to Europe, Spanish employees work remotely less, five percentage points lower, placing the European average at 38%. 32% of European workers were not allowed or impossible to work from home, which is slightly higher than employees in our country.

The Randstad Employer Brand Research 2022 report also shows that the most attractive sectors for Spanish professionals are electronics, the hotel sector, the aeronautical area or pharmacy. The study also concludes that some of the best known by professionals are not very attractive, such as banking, insurance, telecommunications or car rental.

Employees with higher education are the ones who, to a greater extent (40%), can telecommute. As for those who cannot do so, because it is impossible due to the characteristics of the job or because it is not allowed (24%), it is more pronounced in the case of women (26%) and employees with a lower educational level (35). %).

The possibility of being able to reconcile professional life with personal life has become an aspect that professionals have not stopped demanding in recent years. Specifically, enjoying labor flexibility is chosen by 45% of professionals in our country as the most interesting action that companies can offer in terms of conciliation.

With less pronounced percentages, actions such as offering benefits to employees (34%), salary protection and fair compensation (32%), professional development and compensation beyond salary (both with 31%) and support for the family or caring for children (both with 26%).

Throughout Europe, a similar trend is observed in terms of the main preferences, with labor flexibility (43%) being the most important action to improve professional and personal reconciliation.

Despite the good results and expectations generated, remote work in our country is being reduced, even to levels higher than the European average. Thus, only a third of Spanish professionals say that they currently work remotely, compared to 49% who did so in 2021.