Despite Covid-19 and the impending threat of a no-deal Brexit, a decent number of Brits are holding out hope for a salary increase.
According to research by job site Indeed, some 23.22% of UK workers remain optimistic about getting a pay rise in 2021.
The only European nation where there's greater pay rise optimism is the Netherlands, where 23.84% of workers say they're hopeful. In Italy and France, just 12.7% of workers are feeling optimistic.
In the UK, there's a pronounced gender split in the results. Whereas 27% of men are optimistic about getting a pay rise, just 19% of women feel the same way.
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This isn't too surprising, sadly, given that research shows men are more likely to ask for a pay rise – and also more likely to be given one.
Bill Richards, managing director of Indeed, said the results show that Brits are feeling "surprisingly upbeat" about their career prospects compared to workers elsewhere in Europe.
He also noted that the pandemic has had a noticeable effect on the job market by creating a difference in attitude between those who have a job already and those who don't.
“On the one hand there are the hundreds of thousands who have lost, or are losing, their jobs," he said. "For them, finding a new role is an all-consuming priority. Meanwhile, many of those still in work are opting to ‘hunker down’ as the economy gets back on its feet."
"For employers who are recruiting, this poses a challenge," he continued. "While they can expect lots of interest in their vacancies from unemployed jobseekers, luring workers with specialist skills away from their current employer is harder than usual – so it’s essential they think strategically about their hiring and design jobs around people’s work-life priorities.”
This could, in time, make a flexible working week easier to negotiate.