Brits Are Job Looking On Vacation, Information Exhibits 

As a substitute of getting misplaced in a seaside learn, 8 in 10 UK staff spent their summer time holidays job looking, new information has revealed.

The invention comes as many sectors expertise workers shortages. Bars, eating places, and accommodations are notably struggling, because the hospitality trade experiences sharp job losses. Retention is turning into an actual problem for bosses.

With inflation climbing, staff count on their wages to observe go well with, and it’s making the job market much more aggressive. So how can SMEs make sure that their finest individuals keep?

The summer time surge in job looking

Current information from the Headway app explored what’s driving staff to depart their jobs and search change this yr. The examine confirmed that 79% of staff have been job looking on trip, with half of these really going as far as to attend interviews.

It additionally discovered that Google searches for “get a counteroffer” have spiked by +114% over the previous month, displaying that staff are getting ready to return to work with stronger negotiating energy.

That is a part of a broader pattern in revenge quitting, which has seen summer time 2025 grow to be a peak second for staff on the lookout for new positions. 

Publish-pandemic workers shortages, hovering dwelling prices, and a aggressive job market with rival employers providing increased pay or additional perks imply that staff for the time being are susceptible to feeling that the grass could also be greener elsewhere. 

Their optimism could be ill-placed, nonetheless. QuickBooks’ newest Small Enterprise Index revealed that 49,600 jobs have been misplaced since April 2025. Hospitality was hit hardest, with the index recording a lack of 21,800 vacancies throughout accommodations, pubs, eating places, and bars.

What it means for enterprise house owners

Small corporations, particularly, really feel the pressure when valued staff search pastures new. With fewer assets to match the salaries of bigger opponents, the loss of a talented employee hits even more durable.

Now, a rising pattern of staff searching for higher affords threatens to worsen the challenges that companies are already going through, resulting in understaffed shifts, increased recruitment prices, and falling morale.

On the identical time, the Headway statistics present that counteroffers are on the rise. Staff aren’t simply quitting; many are utilizing exterior affords as bargaining chips to barter higher offers with their present employers.

How you can retain (and compete for) expertise

Cindy Cavoto, productiveness coach at Headway, not too long ago shared 5 negotiation ways staff can use to debate counteroffers. Cavoto advises:

1. Look past wage, give attention to bonuses, perks, or sooner promotion alternatives
2. State your request, then pause, resist the urge to over-explain
3. Use market benchmarks, not feelings
4. Safe future wage evaluations in writing
5. Problem the “no price range” excuse

For employers, there are additionally learnings. Particularly: wage isn’t the only motivator. Providing extra progress alternatives, setting fastened evaluate dates, and investing in non-financial advantages like coaching or versatile working preparations will be simply as useful for workers retention.