Every year 18% of the Australian workforce started work with a new employer. New data released by the ABS reconfirmed that we are a nation of job hoppers. Almost one in six or 1,972,300 of the workforce has been with a company/business for less than 12 months.

Here’s how the distribution looks:

Employment tenure is even lesser with high-income earners. Our survey revealed that executives on average worked for almost eight employers during their lifetime; and the vast majority (25%) have worked for their current employer for less than a year.

Here’s a comparison of executive and the national average:

The fact is employment tenure is getting shorter, and all signs are suggesting it will continue to get shorter. Which means that recruiters will have to be eternally vigilant. Which in turn underscores the important of having robust processes, a talent pipeline and a recruitment strategy.

Recruiters will be called upon to deliver with increasing regularity.

Part of the reasons why agency recruiters continuously deliver result is because they start looking again immediately after a talent is found (placement made). Maintaining a fluid talent pipeline comes with the territory and gives them the edge over their corporate siblings.

Perhaps, the best time to start looking for talent is the day a new hire is made. That type of advance planning and thinking will insulate an organisation from risks associated with the vagaries of employee mobility and spiralling recruitment budgets.

Personal branding in its simplest form is the application of marketing principles and tactics to promote an individual as a ‘brand’, with the expectation of gaining visibility, recognition and better career prospects. Since Tom Peters coined the phrase ‘brand you’ in the late nineties, the concept of self-promotion has taken off significantly. Today, it’s hard not to encounter material on personal branding; a Google search alone returned thousands of links on the topic.

Two main things (amongst many) seems to drive the popularity of personal branding. Changing work norms and low employment tenure means that job seekers need to engage in self-promotion fairly regularly. Secondly, the tools to self-promote are readily available and becoming easier to use.

Our survey found that executives are highly aware of the concept of personal branding. The vast majority (90%) think that it is important to promote their personal brand as opposed to the company they worked for.

Q. How important is it to build and promote your own personal brand separate from your employer’s brand?

What will happen in a world where everyone indulge in self-promotion?

These are early days and it’s hard to figure out the implications, other than the fact that people are by nature interested in self-promotion and will continue to invest in building their ‘personal brand’. In this scenario, what works in social media’s favour is it provides the tools and the environment for self-promotion. Perhaps, job boards will be at a disadvantage because they are not really equipped to help job seekers beyond presenting them with employment opportunities.

What’s certain is the ability for someone to find someone else will be enhanced significantly. Given that our whole industry is about finding someone, the rising phenomena of ‘personal branding’ will impact all in ways we cannot yet fathom.

A new report by Ipsos suggested that employees are becoming more loyal. According to the study, the majority (55%) of the 1022 Australians surveyed last month indicated they would remain loyal even if they get offered a higher pay elsewhere.  A similar study by Kelly Services in March (sample size of 20,000) found that 44% percent of respondents are ‘totally committed’ to their current employer.

The above two surveys are a departure from earlier studies on the same subject. SEEK’s Satisfaction & Motivation survey taken in September 2009 reported that 61% of the workforce are keeping their eyes open for new opportunities. Our own survey revealed that close to 77% of high-income earners are ready to leave their current employers if a better opportunity comes along. In our study, only 9% of senior executives declared loyalty to their current employer.

So, is loyalty increasing? Perhaps, pay conditions have improved and employees have more reasons to stay with their current employer. As unemployment rate dropped to 5.2% and the economy show signs of more recovery, it could well be that alarmed employers are on charm offensive and are having success with their retention strategies.

While the different surveys presented different employee sentiments, there’s no denying that a significant chunk of the workforce is always on the lookout for new opportunities. By default, 1 million Australians are perennially looking for the next gig. For those in permanent roles, the average work tenure is getting shorter. ABS reports that a majority 21% of the Australian workforce are in their current job for less than twelve months. Only 7% are in their current role for 10 or more years. The idea that an employee should commit to a particular employer is a mindset from a by-gone era. Changing social mores, work styles and attitudes to employment, and economic fluctuations will ensure that employee churn will be a permanent fixtures in most organisations.

Expecting and preparing in advance for workplace churn is the best way recruiters can help insulate the organisation against risks.