The economy isn't growing as fast as most would like, but it's certainly very mobile. Americans are moving between jobs faster than ever.
It is unclear whether the frequent career moves has made workers happier with their jobs than their forebears were grinding at the same job for decades. When the opportunities seem endless, perhaps it is harder for young people to be content with the job they have, since they may always wonder if there is something better around the corner.
Case in point: A new survey conducted byMatawan, New Jersey-based iCIMS, a recruitment software provider, finds that a whopping 63 percent of U.S. workers say they are looking for new employment.
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Other polls over the past year have not found quite as high a percentage of workers to be interested in leaving their jobs, but most have found that roughly half are open to the idea. A Gallup survey in November of last year, for instance, found that 51 percent of employees were considering a new job.
Unsurprisingly, the youngest workers — millennials — are most likely to be itching for a new gig. Seventy-seven percent said they are seeking another job, compared to 66 percent of Gen Xers and 44 percent of baby boomers.
It's important to note that "seeking another job" encompasses a broad group of people with varying levels of satisfaction with their current employer. While some may be extraordinarily unhappy with their current situation and aggressively courting new opportunities, most are likely "passive job seekers" who may not peruse job boards regularly, but are open to considering a new job if it comes their way.
For example, a CareerBuilder poll in December found that only 21 percent of all workers were "planning" on having a new job in the next 12 months. Among millennials, 30 percent were angling to move jobs in the next year.
The iCIMS survey found that 56 percent of all employees, and 63 percent of millennials, said they would consider leaving their current employment in favor of joining the "gig economy."
As much buzz as the gig economy has gotten as the way of the future, there is precious little evidence that it has had much impact, outside of a few industries. A March study found that less than 1 percent of adults reported income from online gig platforms, and that much — if not most — of that came from one company: Uber.
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