Workers ‘want to earn more but don’t ask for a rise’

Nick Elvin

Sixty-three per cent of British workers want to earn more yet many haven’t actually asked for a pay review, according to a new CareerBuilder.co.uk survey.

Despite expressing dissatisfaction with their current compensation levels, only 39% have ever asked for a raise. Of those who have asked, however, over a quarter (26%) say they received one.

Female workers are more likely than male workers to feel dissatisfied with their pay, with two thirds (66%) saying they do not currently earn their desired salary, compared to 61% of male workers.

Men are more likely than women to ask for a pay rise and they are also more likely to receive one. Of the 45% of men who say they’ve asked for a raise, 29% say they received one. Comparatively, while only 35% of female workers have asked for a raise, only 24% of those workers received one.

When asked what motivates them in their job, workers cited multiple factors including “money” (54%); “the ability to provide for myself and my family” (48%); “the ability to make a difference” (37%); and “the ability to create something meaningful” (22%).

While women are slightly less likely than men to be motivated by money (50% of female workers say money drives them, versus 58% of male workers), 44% of women are motivated to make a difference compared to only 30% of men.

“It’s no surprise that money is the main motivational factor in the workplace, as both men and women are striving to earn more in today’s current economic climate, and in turn measure their success against the figure they earn,” said Scott Helmes, managing director of CareerBuilder UK.

“Money isn’t the only reason people are working hard though, and we can see that women in particular are keen to make a difference in their job roles in comparison to men. It would be interesting to see if this changes over the next 12 months.”

Helmes added: “Our research illustrates that many employees are unhappy with their current salaries, which is interesting as only 39% of those asked have actually asked for a pay-rise.”