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 percent 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 percent 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," said Brin McCagg, CEO and Co-founder of RecruitiFi. "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 percent 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 percent);
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To take a job with a competitor (25 percent);
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To relocate to a different city (22 percent);
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To accommodate the relocation of a significant other (11 percent);
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To take time off for personal travel (5 percent)
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 percent), for more money (35 percent), and "to pursue more fulfilling work in terms of company values and opportunities" (31 percent).
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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.
