Out-Of-State Employee Poaching Risks Jump To ~75% If Workers Do Not Have To Move, White Paper Says

Two years on, the biggest downside from the COVID-19 pandemic for Utah tech firms will likely be retaining employees if/when out-of-state employers do two things: 1) Offer competitive wages, and 2) Allow Utahns to Work From Home.

All things being equal, roughly 75% of employees at Utah technology companies are willing to work for an out-of-state company if they do not have to move away from Utah.

That's the primary takeaway from Human Capital Risk From Rise Of Remote Work, the newest White Paper published this week by Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management based upon data gathered in 2021 for the Silicon Slopes Human Capital Study.

Most Utah employees are willing to change jobs for a higher salary if they don’t have to move out of state.

Over 1,775 employees at Utah technology companies responded to this question – "How likely would you be to change companies if another employer could provide a higher salary with similar benefits (e.g. health insurance and vacation time) than your current employer for the same job and ..." – with the three answers shown above.

Interestingly, this willingness to change jobs for an out-of-state employer held true regardless of

Gender,
Age, and
Salary.

However, as readers examine the results to the third answer option–"You DO have to relocate (and leave Utah)"–they will likely note that the opposite is also true, merely not to the same extreme. Namely,

Slightly more than 60% of Utah workers are not willing to change jobs for higher wages and similar benefits if doing so means they must move out of state.

The BYU researchers believe that this answer showcases a possible "... indication of employee loyalty to where they live (e.g., within Utah) as opposed to where they work."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The White Paper referenced above was derived from the results of the Silicon Slopes Human Capital Study. This 2021 Study was produced in concert with the BYU Marriott School of Management, Cicero, the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity (formerly the Governor's Office of Economic Development), Silicon Slopes, and Utah's Department of Workforce Services, with BYU professors leading the Study.