A sluggish global economy doesn't appear to be improving employee loyalty. In fact, more than half of the world's employees believe that switching employers is the best way to improve their career prospects, and two-thirds (69%) say that if they did change jobs, they would be in a good position to negotiate a similar or better position.

These are just some of the findings from the latest Kelly Global Workforce Index, which this year collated the views and opinions of around 170,000 people in 30 countries.

In my reading of the results, I see some strong indicators of a more autonomous and empowered workforce. The survey reflects employees' changing attitudes to loyalty—they are putting greater emphasis on career renewal and gaining new skills by moving employers, rather than waiting for promotions internally. While this in itself might not surprise some of us, what may be less expected is that so many employees still feel this way despite the lack of security that is being offered on the external market. It seems that employees are willing to trade security for more immediate rewards.

However, what surprised me most about the report is that almost half of those surveyed (49%) admitted that they actively look for better jobs, even when they're happy in their current positions.

If this is the case, the way we think about job satisfaction needs some readjusting. If people don't stay even when they're happy, what can HR, management and senior leadership do to retain talent and knowledge? From where I sit, it appears that the answer is going to require some pretty creative and innovative thinking.

Here is a snapshot of some of the other key findings from the report. For a copy of the full report, download it here :

- The idea of a ‘career-for-life’ is still regarded as relevant by almost one-third of respondents (31%), but is significantly higher in the Americas (49%) than in APAC (29%) and EMEA (21 %).

- Less than one-third (29%) believes they will progress in their career or gain a promotion with their current employer over the next year.

- More than half of respondents (55%) feel they may be in a position of high demand in the jobs marketplace.  The highest is in the Americas and APAC (both 62%), compared with 45% in EMEA.

You can download a free copy of the report here.