KEY POINTS:
Quality of life has displaced pay as the biggest single influence on finance professionals weighing up whether to leave New Zealand.
A survey of finance and accounting staff in 17 countries by recruiting firm Robert Half has found that pay is still the main reason for New Zealanders to actively look for a new job, but comes third after quality of life and family considerations when it comes to considering a job overseas.
A director of Robert Half's Auckland office, Kim Smith, said the survey was "a real wake-up call" to Kiwi employers.
"Skilled workers are placing a very high premium on fitting their jobs into the rest of their lives," she said.
"They will change jobs and move city or even country to get the quality of life they want."
The survey questioned 303 people in New Zealand, three-quarters of them women and half aged 35 or under.
It found that 13 per cent were already actively job-hunting and a further 21 per cent were considering changing jobs in the next year - slightly fewer than in Australia, but in line with finance professionals in North America and Europe.
Asked for the main reason why they were considering a new job, 34 per cent of the New Zealanders said they wanted higher pay, 20 per cent "improved work-life balance", and 15 per cent a higher-level or more responsible position.
The Australian answers were almost identical. But New Zealanders were much more likely to say they would consider a job in another country (53 per cent) than Australians (42 per cent) or Asians (33 per cent), and slightly more likely than Europeans (51 per cent) or North Americans (48 per cent).
And asked which of a list of factors "would most influence your decision to relocate to a different country to pursue a better job opportunity", "quality of life in the new country" topped pay in 13 of the 17 countries, including New Zealand.
In this country, 39 per cent said the quality of life in the new country would be the biggest influence, 25 per cent said family considerations, 17 per cent pay, 9 per cent the cost of living in the new country, and 5 per cent the status of the new job.
Men were slightly more likely to say that both quality of life and pay would be the biggest influences, while women were more likely to be affected by family.
Ms Smith said the desire for better work-life balance also showed up when people were asked what would be the most important factor in choosing between two jobs with the same pay. Work-life balance was first equal, on 24 per cent, with flexible working hours and the ability to work from home.
Career development came third with 19 per cent.
More than half of those surveyed, including a slightly higher proportion of men, said they would consider becoming temporary or contract workers so they could get variety or gain more flexibility.
