Younger workforce is not afraid to leave their jobs, study finds

Thirty-three percent of people said they would leave their job if they lacked support for internal mobility.

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Attraction and retention has always been an issue on the minds of employers, especially now when the labor market remains tight. A new survey by Amdocs says that employees are looking for opportunities beyond just their individual careers.

Thirty-three percent of people said they would leave their job if they lacked support for internal mobility – the ability to take on a completely new challenge or team and be supported in doing so. However, less than half (45%) said their workplace supports it.

Growth and talent mobility are a priority for 85% of respondents. While one-third of people would leave their job if they lacked support for internal mobility, less than half (45%) say their workplace supports it. However, 46% of respondents have already left a company despite liking the compensation, benefits and culture due to lack of growth in their role, mobility to other roles, or reskilling/upskilling opportunities. Additionally, 57% said that a lack of growth opportunities would cause them to leave their current role.

Compared to the national average, Gen Z and younger Millennials (ages 25-34) show the greatest likelihood of leaving a job if they lack areas like hybrid work, reskilling, the ability to change roles within a company, and more.

This group also reports the highest instance (53%) of a job not meeting expectations with three to six months of starting the role.

Not only that but those between 25-34 are the most likely (54%) to leave a job if their demands aren’t met in areas like hybrid work, reskilling, work/life balance. Additionally, nearly half (47%) report instances of a job not meeting expectations within 3-6 months of starting the role. 

While over half of employees believe bias exists when it comes to who has the opportunity for talent mobility within their current company, there’s a significant discrepancy between demographics. Only 41% of older employees (ages 45-54) say there is bias when it comes to career opportunities at their company, but more than half (59%) of younger workers between 25-34 believe there is bias within their current company.

Related: An employer’s guide to hiring in today’s shifting labor market

The pandemic saw many companies claiming to offer in-depth reskilling, upskilling and training and development programs for employees. However, more than a third (38%) of respondents claim their companies don’t prioritize it, with an additional 17% stating reskilling has decreased over the past year.