industry research
Liz Smith reports on the key findings from the Working in Fitness 2010 survey T
hose working in the fitness industry are starting to feel the effects of the current economic climate. Levels
of pay have not generally increased over the past year, while training and development have also slowed down. However, fitness workers continue to be positive about the organisations they work for, with a stated intention to remain in the industry. These are the topline indications of
the seventh annual Working in Fitness Survey, developed by SkillsActive and the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) and conducted between May and August. We take a look in more detail.
pay & career prospects As seen in other industries, pay increases are on hold, employer contributions to training has reduced and the amount of training undertaken has shown the first signs of a fall. However, more fi tness workers are
recommending the organisation they work for than previously, and continue
to show a desire to remain in the fi tness industry in the long term. Sixty-eight per cent report an intention to stay in the sector for at least fi ve years, but there is still a quarter who don’t know how long they will stay. Factors that would make them leave include low pay, better career prospects elsewhere and personal reasons (each reported by two in fi ve respondents – see fi gure 1). Although these issues are consistent
across different types of employment, low pay and improved career prospects are more commonly cited by those working in permanent, full-time roles; they have a lesser impact on the self- employed. Positively, only 8 per cent and 7 per cent of the self-employed report a lack of work and rising costs, respectively, as signifi cant factors in the current economic climate. Pay, meanwhile, does not show signs
of improving: a higher proportion of fi tness workers than last year report the level unchanged, while those receiving an increase continues to fall – 24 per cent received a pay rise this year
Figure 1: Factors cited as reasons to leave the industry
Low pay compared to other industries
paths in other industries Unsociable hours
Poor training and development
Poor working conditions
End of contract/ redundancy
Leaving to raise family
Work pressure too much
Other personal reasons Better prospect/career
compared to 34 per cent last year. The increase that was received was most commonly 2.5 per cent or less. However, in spite of the current
pay situation, eight in 10 respondents are still happy to recommend the main organisation they work for to a friend. Although the private sector is slightly less likely to be referred, the fi gures suggest an improvement on last year. Given that the same issues appear to be present as those found in previous surveys, the improvement in recommendations may be due to workers simply being content to be in work at all at the moment. Areas that infl uence a
recommendation tend to be connected to working conditions and standards (see fi gure 2); remuneration and prospects for promotion or career development show the lowest satisfaction, regardless of whether an organisation would be recommended, which confi rms earlier fi ndings of factors that would make people consider leaving.
training & development Levels of training and development is not the most commonly quoted reason to leave the industry, but at the same time there is some evidence to suggest that it can benefit retention. When recommending an organisation to work for, those who have received the least number of training days are less likely to make a referral. Likewise those who intend to remain in the industry for a short time, or who do not recommend their employer, also more commonly report not receiving enough training. Those who intend to stay five or more
years in the sector undertook an average 5.5 days of training in the last year, while those staying only one year received 3.3 days’ training. This may be connected to the fact that training is most commonly paid for by
72 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital november/december 2010 © cybertrek 2010
PERSPECTIVE
PERSONNEL
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