Despite relief among businesses believing the Great Resignation is finally over, over a quarter (26%) of employees say they plan to quit their jobs in the next 12 months, but from 19% last year.

This is according to PwC‘s latest Global Workforce Hopes, and Fears Survey, which found some positives among this startling statistic.

The survey drew responses nearly 54,000 workers in 46 countries and territories, including 2,000 from the UK.

A quick review of the major findings reveals a tumultuous picture.

One third of workers say their company will not be economically viable in ten year’s time if it continues on its current course – comparable to 39% of CEOs who said the same in PwC’s 26th Annual Global CEO Survey.

Breaking this down by age, Gen Z workers were found to be the most pessimistic with 49% saying their company will not survive another decade without change.

Employees appear to be restless, based on the findings that 26% say they are likely to change jobs in the next year. Younger employees are more likely to jump ship, with 35% of gen Z and 31% of millennials planning to make a switch.

This ties into the continuous struggles of employees: 14% say they struggle to pay bills ever month, with a further 42% saying once they cover their expenses, they have little to nothing left over, and increase from 37% in 2022.

Further, one in five respondents say they have an extra job in addition to their primary one.

Despite having multiple forms of employment, employees are concerned about the skills gap.

53% of employees say their job requires specialist training, up from 49% last year. Workers without specialist training are more likely to face financial difficulties than specialist workers, and are less likely to understand how their skills will change.

Further, those without a specialisation were less likely to seek a raise or promotion, and found less value in pursuing soft skills like problem solving, flexibility and resilience – key factors employers are seeking.

Those without specialisms often struggle to upskill, as they are more likely to take on a second job to pay their expenses during the cost-of-living crisis. Meanwhile, those already with specialisms and higher pay grades find it easier to expand their skills sets via training initiatives.

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Finally, workers appear to be unafraid by AI, unlike a lot of fearmongering predictions thought.

Respondents in the survey more often cited the positive impacts of AI more frequently than they do the negative ones, with 31% saying ‘AI will help me increase my productivity/efficiency at work.’

Still, to dissuade any lingering fears among workers, and explain how AI will transform their workplace, companies have should implement a ‘future of work’ strategy so employees can understand how their company will transform, and how their skill requirements might change.