New Creative Employee Survey Reveals Over 56% of Full-Timers are Looking to Leave Their Jobs Within the Next Year; Despite Industry Instability

Today, Working Not Working Inc., a Fiverr company (NYSE: FVRR) and the leading platform for creative talent discovery, released the top findings from its first ever (un)Happiness Survey to better understand how creatives are really feeling about their jobs at a time when the industry is focused on adopting new technologies and optimizing literally everything except their people. The report, which features survey responses from nearly 1,000 full-time creative professionals across the Working Not Working network, highlights a startling lack of employer investment in the key areas that matter to employees: opportunities, company culture, professional development, perceived value, and flexibility. As a result, over half of the creative workforce is now looking to exit their full-time positions within the next year, with over 40% of those surveyed intending to do so in the next six months.

“There was such an awakening of workers rethinking their life priorities and purpose post-COVID – especially in the creative industry. So I’ve been shocked at how quickly companies ignored those revelations to force fit their workforce into misaligned company objectives,” said Working Not Working Co-founder & CEO Justin Gignac. “We initially sent this out as the Happiness Survey, but the results quickly dictated we rename it. In a time when our humanity and creativity should be doubled down on as a key differentiator, too many businesses that rely on creativity have left their employees feeling like cogs: burned out, underutilized, and underappreciated. The solution is obvious: employees want to feel seen, valued and understood. They want opportunities that align with their passions. They want to make great work with a company and colleagues they believe in. And they want to be treated like humans, not headcount.”

The findings follow research from Forrester that details the ongoing Employee Experience Recession crisis across the corporate world, with organizations slashing investments and resources on jobs, DEIB programs, and employee wellness initiatives. Working Not Working’s survey highlights how employee pain points – often dismissed as isolated issues – have now compounded in a way that’s driving creatives to seek out new opportunities, even during times of uncertainty. Some of the most surprising results include:

Full-time employees of all ages, genders, and working locations are feeling somewhere between indifferent to miserable:

• 75% reported negative happiness levels, with emotions ranging from “meh” to “miserable”;
• These feelings of unhappiness and being undervalued are impacting employee retention at a concerning rate, 56% of respondents indicated they intended to leave their current full-time position within 1 year;
• 84% of respondents reported a negative personal value perception of their current place of employment while a startling 97% of employees feel there is a lack of clarity from leadership on their career growth

Employees are taking matters into their own hands and seeking alternative employment opportunities outside of work hours:

• Over 65% of respondents are currently working as freelancers outside of their full-time employer;
• More than half of respondents cite that their current employer does not know of their freelance work and that they have no intention of telling them

Companies have the opportunity to turn their employee sentiment and productivity around – not just with salaries but with commitments to company culture:

• According to the data, stronger and renewed commitments to key corporate drivers can increase employee tenure by over 9 months;
• Increased salaries can extend employee tenure by .8 months and increased access to project opportunities by over 2.5 months;
• Flexibility in working hours and workplace location can increase employee retention by over 3 months;
• Investments into team structure equates to over a month of added tenure, strong and applicable corporate values contribute nearly 2.5 months

To learn more about Working Not Working's (un)Happiness Survey, you can visit workingnotworking.com/unhappiness to access a full breakdown of the report’s findings. Similarly, to join the movement to tackle the growing challenges faced by employees, visit NTRNL™ a new product that helps organizations unlock the passions of their talent in order to ignite productivity, foster growth and belonging, and drive retention internally.

About Working Not WorkingWorking Not Working, a Fiverr company, helps the world's most innovative brands discover, hire, and retain top-tier creative talent. The company's mission is to build the future of creative opportunity. Companies like Apple, Google, Wieden+Kennedy, Airbnb, Roblox, COLLINS, IKEA, and Pinterest trust the platform. Learn more at workingnotworking.com.

About FiverrFiverr’s mission is to change how the world works together. We exist to democratize access to talent and to provide talent with access to opportunities so anyone can grow their business, brand, or dreams. From small businesses to Fortune 500, around 4 million customers worldwide worked with freelance talent on Fiverr in the past year, ensuring their workforces remain flexible, adaptive, and agile. With Fiverr Business Solutions, large companies can find the right talent and tools tailored to their needs to help them thrive and grow. On Fiverr, you can find over 700 skill categories, ranging from AI to programming and 3D design, digital marketing to content creation, and from video animation to architecture.

Don’t get left behind - come be a part of the future of work by visiting fiverr.com, reading our blog, and following us on Instagram, X, and Facebook.

Press ContactJenny ChangTommy [e-mail]