British employees are much more likely to leave their jobs than their European neighbours, a report has concluded.

Nearly one in four UK employees are thinking about leaving their job, compared with the European average of nearly one in eight.

The research, conducted by consultancy firm ISR, also found that many workers in British companies think that their organisation is doing a poor job at keeping its most talented employees.

ISR analysed data on 262,799 employees in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden and The Netherlands.

They found that 24 per cent of British employees are thinking about leaving their job.

Italian (12 per cent) and German (10 per cent) workers are the least likely to be thinking about leaving their jobs, according to the report.

The research also discovered that nearly half of both UK (46 per cent) and French (47 per cent) employees think that their employer is not doing a good job of retaining its most talented employees.

German workers are the least likely to say that their company is not doing a good job at retaining its employees.

Nick Tatchell, ISR: "Our research suggests that a workplace culture in which people can maximise their potential is still largely absent."

The study also showed that UK firms are providing too few opportunities for personal development.

Thirty-three per cent of British employees say that their company isn't doing a good job at developing people to their full potential, compared with the European average of 23 per cent.

And 26 per cent of Britons believe that they don't have an opportunity for personal development and growth in their company, 9 per cent higher than the European average.

Nick Tatchell, senior project director at ISR, said: "Against a background where the traditional idea of career progression is increasingly obsolete, talented employees pay far greater attention to whether their employer encourages them to acquire new skills and develop their capabilities.

"Our research suggests that a workplace culture in which people can maximise their potential is still largely absent.

"Without it, there is high risk that people will either put minimum levels of effort into their job, or look for opportunities elsewhere. Both of these can have a serious impact on an organisation's financial performance."