Is job hopping bad for one's career? A random search of tech professionals on LinkedIn should quickly dispel that notion, at least among techies. Now, there's new data that indicates job-hopping is just fine with the folks who do the hiring, across most major professions.
The research was conducted through CareerBuilder, which polled more than 5,000 hiring pros and job-seekers. The study found that 55 percent of employers surveyed said they've hired a job-hopper, and 32 percent expect the modern worker to job-hop.
Yes, technology did lead the pack in terms of employers who said they expect workers to job-hop. But other professions weren't far behind. Here's the top 5 list:
- Information Technology – 42 percent
- Leisure & hospitality – 41 percent
- Transportation – 37 percent
- Retail – 36 percent
- Manufacturing – 32 percent
And job-hopping isn't limited to restless youth, the survey showed. "By the age of 35, 25 percent of workers have held five jobs or more. For workers ages 55 and older, 20 percent have held ten jobs or more," CareerBuilder reported.
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But employers tend to make more allowances for young hoppers than their elders. They fully expect recent grads to job-hop; 45 percent of employers said they don't expect a new grad to stick around for two years. Just 27 percent believe that, when they hire a college grad, they'll still be seeing that shiny face come through the door in five years.
"Forty-one percent of employers said that job-hopping becomes less acceptable when a worker reaches his/her early to mid-30s (ages 30 or 35). Twenty-eight percent find job-hopping less acceptable after the age of 40," the study reported.
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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.
