Major workforce study exposes serious disconnects between employers and employees.

As a serious talent and worker shortage looms in the U.S., a new comprehensive study released by staffing and recruiting corporation Spherion Corporation indicates that many employers are not taking the steps necessary to retain existing employees and attract top talent from the shrinking worker pool.

Spherion's 2005 Emerging Workforce Study, conducted by Harris Interactive, surveyed a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. employers and adult workers to reveal a troubling gap between employers and employees on critical workplace issues such as retention factors, training and development, and work/life balance. The study also finds that less than one in five employers is well positioned to attract and retain top talent.

According to the 2005 Emerging Workforce Study:

* Sixty percent of workers rate time and flexibility as a very important factor in retention, but only 35 percent of employers feel the same.

* Only 49 percent of employers rate financial compensation as a very important driver of retention, but 69 percent of workers believe it is.

* On average, employers only expect 14 percent of their workforce to leave in the next year, but Spherion data shows that nearly 40 percent of U.S. workers intend to find a new job in the next 12 months.

* Less than half (44 percent) of U.S. workers believe their companies are taking steps to retain them and nearly a third (31 percent) believe there is a turnover problem at their company already.