And finally…UK workers would rather clean the house or visit the dentist than ask for a raise

While 65 per cent of UK employees surveyed by specialist recruitment firm RobertHalf have more confidence in their job prospects compared to a year ago, only 59 per cent plan to ask for a payrise this year.

Instead of making the case for a pay increase, employees would rather clean the house (24 per cent), look for a new job (18 per cent), go to the dentist (6 per cent) or even run a marathon (3 per cent).

Globally, employees in Hong Kong are the most likely to prefer to look for a new job than ask for a payrise (44 per cent), followed by Singapore (34 per cent) and those in the UK (23 per cent). French, German and US employees would rather clean the house (46 per cent, 46 per cent and 32 per cent respectively). Surprisingly, 7 per cent of US employees stated they would rather have dental root canal work than ask for more money.

UK workers are much less likely to ask for a salary rise than those in other parts of the world next year. Just over half (54 per cent) plan to request a rise, compared to 77 per cent of workers in France, 78 per cent in Germany and 81 per cent in Brazil. However, UK workers may be more likely to be ‘suffering in silence’ as a quarter (23 per cent) would rather look for another job than ask their boss for a raise.

Phil Sheridan, Managing Director, Robert Half UK said: “It’s amazing that people would rather clean the house or run a marathon than ask for a pay rise. Self-confidence is the foundation of a successful career and the ability to negotiate and articulate well are some of the key soft skills for success. Your professional growth and earning potential depend not just on the demand for your technical skill set, but also on your willingness and ability to negotiate with current and prospective employers.”