New research reveals which employees you’re most likely to lose as the job market loosens.

A Leadership Pulse Study from HR software firm eePulse, Inc. offers four criteria to pinpoint the workers that’ll be  most susceptible to poaching by your competitors. See how many of them could apply to your situation:

• Employees between 41 and 45
• IT and marketing staffers
• People at the director and manager/supervisor levels, and
• Employees at firms whose performance is average or below average in comparison to industry peers.

The industries likely to see the biggest poaching push: health care, social services, information services and retail.

Beware the ‘neglected warrior’

The employees you’re most likely to lose, according to the author of the study, Theresa Welbourne: “neglected warriors.”

“During the recession, these (employees) thrived on change and multi-tasked, but (feel) unappreciated today,” she said. They’re going to be receptive to overtures from other organizations as the recession lifts.

The Leadership Pulse study is a joint project from eePulse, the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California, the Conference Board and the Institute for Management Development. For a look at the full report, go here.

Tags: eePulse, employee poaching, Leadership Pulse Study, losing employees, neglected warriors, Theresa Welbourne