Lack of opportunity is the main reason women change jobs, a survey published to coincide with International Women’s Day yesterday revealed.

A total of 35 per cent of women who had moved to other employers did so because of few opportunities for career progression — the top reason for leaving their previous employer.

The international PwC report “winning the fight for female talent — how to gain the diversity edge through inclusive recruitment” also found that women and men respondents both wanted the same things from their careers.

Both groups ranked good progression prospects among the top three traits they look for in an employer, along with competitive salaries and flexible work arrangements.

Women starting their careers and female millennials identified flexible hours as the most attractive part of a job package, as did women overall in a number of countries.

Arthur Wightman, PwC Bermuda leader, said: “As our research shows, in today’s highly competitive job market, organisations must equip themselves to offer opportunities for career progression, competitive pay, flexible work arrangements and a culture of work-life balance.”

And he warned: “Just talking about diversity as part of an employer brand is no longer enough. When deciding whether or not to work for an employer, the survey found that over half of women are looking to see active diversity progress by the organisation.”

The survey involved nearly 4,800 professionals, 3,934 women and 845 men, with recent experience of the jobs market across 70 countries.

PwC also surveyed 328 executives with responsibility for diversity or recruitment in their organisations to examine current diversity trends and practices.

The report was presented last night at an event at XL Catlin’s O’Hara House in Hamilton run by PwC and the Women’s Legal Network.

David Gibbons, PwC Bermuda partner and diversity leader, said: “When you look at what drives job satisfaction, people clearly seek opportunities for career progression.

“Putting in place formal career-progression plans is one way of making sure employees remain motivated and committed to the organisation.

“Looking forward, this will be increasingly important as CEOs work to attract and retain the best talent in a highly competitive world.”

The survey found that more than three-quarters of employers had diversity and inclusion programmes, going up to 88 per cent for firms with more than 10,000 staff.

More than half of women surveyed said that they looked for active progress on diversity before signing a contract with a new employer, rising to 61 per cent for women career starters.

And 61 per cent of women and 49 per cent of men looked at diversity at the top of a company before deciding to accept their most recent job.

The survey also found that, in a bid to attract female talent, 28 per cent of companies had introduced returnship programmes for those returning to work after an extended career break and another quarter were looking at introducing similar schemes.

And 78 per cent of large organisations around the world said they were aiming to hire more women — particularly at levels and sectors where they are currently underrepresented.