While there has been a lot of discussion recently about Americans dropping out of the workforce or putting a hold on plans to get new jobs, at least one survey suggests that many workers are hoping to make a change in 2017.
The poll of U.S. employees by WorkSphere finds that 62 percent plan on making some type of career change in the next 12 months, either with a new employer or their current one. That includes workers who want to find a new job as well as those who are hoping to get a new role with their employer, develop a new work skill or boost their overall work performance.
Recommended For You
Among those who want to make a career change, 56 percent cited higher pay as a key motivation. Forty-five percent say they want to try something new and 44 percent say they are seeking a better work/life balance.
Major cities that are known to be culturally progressive are the most desired spots among workers who are willing to relocate in their current job. Seventeen percent cited Seattle, followed by San Francisco (16 percent), Los Angeles (16 percent) and Portland (15 percent).
Among millennials who are considering moving for a new job, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles were the three most-desired destinations.
While employees say they intend to make changes to their own situation, they are divided as to whether the economy will make that easy.
Twenty-seven percent believe that 2017 will offer better job prospects than this past year, while 24 percent disagree. A third of workers say they are more concerned about the economy now than they were during the holiday season last year.
Twenty percent say that the result of the presidential election has affected their job plans.
Sixty percent of workers say they are not worried about their job becoming obsolete in the next five years, a narrow majority that suggests many workers have doubts that their employment is secure.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
