The days of sticking out a less-than-perfect job for at least one year are over. Gen Z and its closest cohorts, millennials, are taking jobhopping to an unprecedented high. A LinkedIn/CensusWide survey found that 72 percent of Gen Z and 66 percent of millennial employees are actively looking to switch jobs.
This marks a major change in the way the workforce views employment for a variety of reasons. In years past, a strong stigma was attached to jobhopping. The conventional wisdom was that new-hires should stay in a job a minimum of one year so their résumés would show a stable work history. Now, the younger generations are not buying this adage. They dislike what they perceive as corporate greed and opt out of climbing the mythical ladder to success. They have also witnessed massive layoffs and view them as antithetical to the promise of stability. As job security has waned, many workers quit before being fired.
Moreover, members of Gen Z strongly value personal well-being, which, in their view, trumps blind loyalty to a corporate employer mostly dedicated to the bottom line. Combined with what many new workers view as a lack of potential to grow within an organization and the desire for flexibility that many corporations are unable (or unwilling) to provide, these young people are ready to take their chances and look for a better work environment. To make mobility doable, young workers are taking on multiple freelance positions or starting their own side gigs. When a job that better fits their vision comes up, they may—or may not—pursue it.
This new reality comes with advantages. Job hoppers claim that frequent job switching helps them gain new skills while leading to higher salaries. Employers say that when employees leave a position, they can restructure with greater fluidity.
Still, some warn that caution should reign over flightiness. Many employers still consider an employee who has only worked short stints a headache to avoid. And even job hoppers admit that switching jobs frequently can be exhausting.
Discussion
- Do you think it’s worth staying in a work situation to show stability on your résumé? Why? Why not?
- In addition to those noted in the post, what are potential negatives/positives about jobhopping?
- Would having multiple, part-time, freelance jobs a good fit for you? Why?