Is job hopping acceptable? Half of Brits happy to leave your business after under a year

It remains to be seen how employers feel about job hopping – though we could probably take a wild guess – however, employees are keen to embrace the method as part of their careers.

CV-Library is behind the findings, which showed that 74.3 per cent of the workers feel job hopping has become more acceptable in recent years, rising among those under 18 to 87 per cent.

And in terms of where job hopping would fit into their agenda, 46.8 per cent said leaving a post after under a year would be fine. Again, younger workers have more of an appetite for job hopping, the results revealed, with 65 per cent of 18-24 year olds happy to quit in that timeframe.

The top reasons for support of job hopping are:

(1) If a better opportunity comes along you should take it – 35 per cent

(2) Circumstances often change – 26 per cent

(3) The job might not be right for you – 17.9 per cent

(4) Freelance work is increasingly common these days – 7.9 per cent

(5) You’ll get a wider range of experience – 7.5 per cent

[rb_inline_related] Lee Biggins, founder and MD of CV-Library, said: “Though some believe that job hopping looks unprofessional, many workers across the nation are seeing the benefits, with the majority agreeing that it is becoming more acceptable.

“It’s interesting to note the generational gap, with younger workers more likely to job hop than their elders, suggesting that this trend could continue to grow as the next generation enters the job market.

“As a result, businesses need to ensure that they’re doing all they can to retain talented employees, especially as such a huge percentage of the younger generation are not afraid to move jobs more frequently if certain opportunities fit in with their career goals.”

Elsewhere, findings showed that 31.7 per cent of workers think they’ll have over ten jobs over their career, and 20.9 per cent think it’s unrealistic for employers to expect staff to stay with them for over two years.

There are some staff that remain loyal though. A third said leaving a business within a year means the employer hasn’t been given a fair chance, while 28.8 per cent think job hopping after such a short period will look bad on a CV.

“It’s clear from the data that professionals are always on the lookout for the best opportunities and are keen to progress in their careers, even if this means changing jobs frequently,” added Biggins.

Indeed, some 18.1 per cent of respondents left their last job for a better opportunity, 16.3 per cent said there was no option to progress and 8.1 per cent wanted a career change.

“Employers need to be sure that they’re offering opportunities for progression, training and fair packages. Otherwise they could risk talented staff looking elsewhere,” he concluded.

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