Job hopping as a way to pursue happiness and fulfillment seems to be strongly rooted in the millennial personality.
A survey by talent acquisition platform RecruitFi gathered input from more than 1,000 employed U.S. millennials and found that 86% would leave their job in a New York minute if the new gig offered the promise of professional and/or personal fulfillment.
Despite their willingness to swap, 83% of those surveyed said they knew job hopping might not be a good resume builder.
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"The millennial generation continues to be at the forefront of every recruiting and hiring discussion," Brin McCagg, CEO and co-founder of RecruitiFi, said. "The survey findings illustrate that now, more than ever, organizations must evolve to adopt more strategic approaches to HR and talent management."
Fifty-three percent of millennials reported having already worked at three or more jobs, the survey said. Asked about plans for hanging on to their current jobs, 20% said they anticipated another move within a year or two.
Asked to identify the top reasons that would motivate a move, they had this to say:
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To pursue a completely different career path (37%);
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To take a job with a competitor (25%);
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To relocate to a different city (22%);
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To accommodate the relocation of a significant other (11%);
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To take time off for personal travel (5%)
Is job hopping the new norm? More than half said it is, even though a third said they'd experienced negative fallouts from being a job hopper, such as lower office morale when a top performer departed.
While the typical millennial is usually thought of as a white collar employee, a substantial number of those surveyed who were in white collar jobs said they would put on the blue suit in order to achieve greater flexibility and work/life balance (39%), for more money (35%) and "to pursue more fulfilling work in terms of company values and opportunities" (31%).
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
