Nearly half of U.S. workers (49 percent) are at least somewhat likely to look for another job this year, according to the 2012 Aflac WorkForces Report. And most of those who say they are extremely or very likely to leave their jobs describe themselves as the kind of workers companies need to retain to remain competitive in a tight economy.

The online survey of nearly 1,900 benefits decision-makers and more than 6,100 U.S. workers found that those employees who are extremely or very likely to look for a new job in 2012 say the following qualities describe them fairly or extremely well:

Hard worker—90 percent
High achiever at work—79 percent
Highly educated—73 percent
Ambitious; someone who strives to get ahead—64 percent.

The survey reports that workers who are extremely or very satisfied with their benefits program are 9 times more likely to stay with their employer than those who are dissatisfied with their benefits program. In fact, 76 percent of employees say they would be at least somewhat likely to accept a job with a more robust benefits package but lower compensation.

Eighty-four percent of workers say benefits are at least somewhat important in the decision to leave a current employer, and 50 percent say they are very or extremely influential.

Other findings include:

35 percent of workers who think their company has a poor reputation as a great place to work say they are extremely likely to leave in the next 12 months.
One-third of workers who don't believe retaining employees is an important priority for their employer say they are likely to leave.
Workers who said they are stressed out are nearly twice as likely (43 percent versus 25 percent) to leave their jobs compared to workers who are not stressed. Another 28 percent of employees who are extremely likely to leave their job in the next 12 months say they don't have peace of mind.

Special Reports /

IQ: Aflac: Top Employees Heading for the Exits

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