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A Job is No Longer For Life

Given we review candidates' backgrounds every day, we're well placed to comment on the changing trends of the workforce.  Careers today aren't what they used to be - there's no longer a job for life.

My dad has had 2 jobs his entire working life, and I would suggest that's fairly common for people of his generation. A two-job, 40-year career. But nowadays, changing jobs regularly is the norm.

You could blame this changing workforce on either of two things:

1.    The changing business environment

It used to be exceptionally rare for companies to make redundancies, whereas now, in the face of challenging economic times, this is unfortunately becoming more common. And so employees feel the need to fend for themselves, decreasing employee loyalty and increasing the rate of changing jobs.

2.    A generational culture shift

It's a culture shift that can't be ignored. From what we've observed, Generation X and Generation Y tend to have a 2-3 year limit before looking for another job opportunity. Potentially this is a result of the "grass is always greener" mentality, or maybe a result of the plethora of opportunities out there, that just can't be ignored.

For job seekers, is it important to be able to justify 'job hopping' ways.

If the decision making process has been well-thought out and the reasons for making the move can be articulated, maybe moving on much quicker isn't an issue?

What do you think? Will the trend reverse itself in the coming years?

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