New research by Course Library finds that over half of UK workers are not happy in their existing employment, with a further 25 percent advising this is down to lack of development opportunities. Comment from Jazz Gandhum, Founder of Course Library.

Over 56 percent of UK workers are not happy in their existing employment, according to new research by innovative training platform, Course Library. Comment from Jazz Gandhum, Founder of Course Library. The research, which surveyed 1,000 participants between the ages of 18 and 64 about their job satisfaction, also revealed that of those who were not happy in their jobs, 25 percent then confirmed this was due to lack of development opportunities; a statistic supported by the fact that a massive one third of workers advised that their employer does not invest in training and development for any staff member.

In fact, the survey highlighted a strong correlation between happiness and learning and development – where of the 43.7 percent of respondents who advised they were happy in their jobs – 38.2 percent said it was because they are constantly learning new skills.

This was supported by 86.7 percent of workers who advised they would be willing to invest in regular training and development, to boost their career opportunities – rising to an impressive 94 percent amongst 18-24 year olds.

Jazz Gandhum, Founder of Course Library, said: “This latest research by Course Library demonstrates a strong correlation between training and development and job satisfaction, highlighting that those who are most happiest in their positions are those offered regular training by their Employers. “One of the stats I found to be most telling, is the high percentage of 18-24 year olds who want to invest in their future and their careers – which comes at an interesting time, as the UK celebrates National Apprenticeship Week, and plans for the introduction of the new Apprenticeship Levy programme.”

Lee Biggins, Co-Founder of Course Library added: “It goes without saying that workers who feel as if their skill sets are being expanded and that they are continuously learning new things, are more likely to want to stay within their current organisation. The issue is many businesses fail to recognise just how valuable development is to their employees. Rather than focussing on the time and cost surrounding training, companies across the UK must start to think about the potential, positive outputs; staff that are happier, more knowledgeable and more engaged with their employer.”