Career Change Statistics
Up-to-date statistics on career change, fulfilment, and the future of work.
Stats on a good workplace culture
82% of employees say it’s important for their organization to see them as a person, not just an employee, but only 45% of employees believe their organization actually sees them this way. - 21 Mar 2023, Gartner
Negative employee perceptions of pay equity can result in a 15% decrease in intent to stay, 13% increase in job searching activity, and 13% decrease in employee engagement. - 21 Mar 2023, Gartner
69% of those who are remote and 61% of those in an office — believe that employee mental health is the shared responsibility of employees and their employer. - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
53% of respondents felt like their company had renewed interest in accessibility and inclusivity throughout the year. - 1 Jan 2022, InVision
58% of survey respondents said they felt their work in 2021 required a new component of resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty that they didn’t have in previous years. - 1 Jan 2022, InVision
70% of InVision survey respondents said they adjusted how they worked to accommodate work schedules and/or flexible time off. - 1 Jan 2022, InVision
Nearly 90% of survey respondents were either hybrid or fully remote during 2021. - 1 Jan 2022, InVision
40% of employed Americans will only consider hybrid or remote job offers - 1 Jan 2022, InVision
The top factors that drive teams are purpose (39%), ownership (20%), other (17%), respect and promotion (both 9%) and money (6%). - 12 Sep 2021, Development Dimensions International
63% of US workers say business culture directly impacts an organization's success. The majority of U.S. workers believe culture influences much of their job performance – doing their best work (77%), their productivity and efficiency (76%) and their ability to best serve customers (74%). - 19 Mar 2019, Eagle Hill Consulting
Almost three-quarters of US workers said they'd be more likely to work for a company with a green footprint. - 15 Feb 2019, Swytch
63% of US employees wouldn't accept a job without first knowing that the organization is actively inclusive of women, minorities and people with disabilities. - 1 Oct 2018, Staples
Stats on number of jobs in a lifetime
Up to 40 percent of GDP growth in the US economy between 1960 and 2010 can be attributed to an uptick in the participation of women and people of color in the labor force through improved talent allocation. - 23 Jan 2023, Mckinsey & Company
People without a college degree are 1.3 times more likely to need to make occupational transitions, compared to those with a college degree, - 23 Jan 2023, Mckinsey & Company
Black and Hispanic workers are 1.1 times more likely to have to transition between occupations than white workers - 23 Jan 2023, Mckinsey & Company
The average number of jobs in a lifetime is 12 for individuals born in the latter years of 1957-64 between the ages 18 to 52. - 22 Aug 2019, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Stats on being happy or fulfilled at work
66% of knowledge workers are more productive and happier, where their employer provides substantial mental health resources, impacting their job positively. - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
79% of knowledge workers describe their mental health as above average, and almost half (46%) state that their work life positively impacts their mental health. - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
Employees feel the most fulfilled and productive if they're given the choice to work remotely, at the office, or both. 39% of remote workers and 34% of in-office workers would like to be allowed to work remotely. - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
48% of American workers are very happy at work. - 9 Nov 2021, GoodHire
60% of Millennials (aged 25-40), 51% of Gen X (aged 18-24), 44% of Baby Boomers (aged 57-75) and 41% of Gen Z (aged 42-56) find great meaning and purpose in their job. - 9 Nov 2021, GoodHire
57% of Millennials (aged 25-40) said they are very happy at work, making them the happiest generation. 22% of Gen Z (aged 18-24) said they are either unhappy or hate work, making them the most unhappy generation. - 9 Nov 2021, GoodHire
Millennials (aged 25-40) are the most fulfilled at work, with 60% of them saying they find great meaning and purpose in their jobs. Gen Z (aged 18-24) is the least fulfilled with just 41% finding great meaning and purpose. - 9 Nov 2021, GoodHire
Thirty-one percent of Millennials, 41 percent of Gen X and 49 percent of Baby Boomers say they want their work to have a positive impact on the world. - 12 Sep 2021, Development Dimensions International
13% of workers are actively disengaged, have miserable work experiences and spread their unhappiness to their colleagues. 51% of workers are "not engaged" and are psychologically unattached to their work and company. - 16 Oct 2020, Gallup
77% of respondents agree that after COVID-19, having the option to work from home would make them happier. - 1 Jul 2020, OWL Labs
Employees working remotely see more positive effects on their daily work, are more engaged, and have a stronger sense of well-being than those in non-remote jobs with little flexibility. Of fathers working at home, 79.4% report positive work effectiveness, with 63.2% feeling engaged and 70.5% have a positive state of well-being. - 29 Jun 2020, McKinsey
Most people are happy after making a career change: 7% are happier, 75% are more satisfied, 69% are more fulfilled, and 65% are less stressed. - 13 Dec 2019, Joblist
81% of workers planning to start a new career say it’s because they are unhappy in their current role. - 30 Oct 2019, Indeed
88% of career changers say they're happier since making their move. - 30 Oct 2019, Indeed
Two thirds of us are unfulfilled at work, which by extension means we’re unfulfilled in our lives. - 1 May 2019, Imperative
Employees with strong workplace social support networks find more meaning in work. Toxic workplace behaviors, such as bullying and exclusion, drive down meaningful work scores by 24%. - 7 Nov 2018, BetterUPLabs
Meaningful work drives employees to work more. Employees doing meaningful work put in an extra hour per week and take two fewer days of paid leave per year. Employees who find their work highly meaningful stay at jobs for an average of 7.4 months longer than employees who find work lacking meaning. - 7 Nov 2018, BetterUPLabs
Employees lack meaning at work. On average, employees say their work is about half as meaningful as it could be. - 7 Nov 2018, BetterUPLabs
Nine out of ten people are willing to earn less money to do more meaningful work. - 6 Nov 2018, Harvard Business Review
80% of people would rather have a boss who cared about them finding meaning and success in work, than receive a 20% pay increase. - 6 Nov 2018, Harvard Business Review
47% pf employees feel pride working for companies where they can be themselves. 46% feel pride where they have the chance to engage in work that has a positive impact on society. 51% feel proud of their company where there is a good balance between work life balance and flexibility. - 26 Jun 2018, LinkedIn
Stats on wanting greater work flexibility
45% of remote workers and 39% of office workers say that being forced to work a 9-to-5 lowers their job satisfaction. - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
30% of all knowledge workers would take a 20% pay cut if it allowed them to work whatever schedule they want! - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
Offering flexibility is now a key strategy for retaining talent. 72% of knowledge workers say that a 4-day work week would make them twice as likely to stay with their company, rising to 82% for those under the age of 35. - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
30% of all knowledge workers say they are most productive outside of standard business hours - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
24% of remote workers say they are distracted by their home work environment. 39% of office workers find their colleagues distracting! - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
39% of remote workers and 42% of in-office workers would like to be offered more flexible working hours. - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
81% of remote workers say they are most productive working from home, while 66% of office workers say they're most effective in an office setting. - 7 Dec 2022, Superhuman
83% of all American workers would prefer a four-day workweek. Millennials (aged 25-40) are most in favor (90%), while Gen Z (aged 18-24) is least interested at 76%. - 9 Nov 2021, GoodHire
68% of Millennials (aged 25-40) are happier working remotely, while Baby Boomers (aged 57-75) are the least happy with remote work at 37%. - 9 Nov 2021, GoodHire
Most full-time workers expect to continue working remotely at least two or three days a week. Half of all American employees will work from home at least two days a week post-pandemic, in hybrid arrangements where 20% of workdays will be carried out from home. - 21 Apr 2021, Stanford
30% of 30,000 survey respondents in the USA were still primarily working from home. - 21 Apr 2021, Stanford
More than 60% of survey respondents in the USA said that working remotely had turned out better than they’d expected. The average employee said the value of working from home was a perk worth roughly 7% of their total paycheck. - 21 Apr 2021, Stanford
Nearly 40% of survey respondents said that they have been more efficient working from home due to the drastic reduction in commute time. - 21 Apr 2021, Stanford
Working from home has resulted in a savings of 60 million commute hours every workday in the USA. - 21 Apr 2021, Stanford
Remote work will increase migration in the USA. 14 to 23 million Americans are planning to move as a result of remote work. - 29 Oct 2020, Upwork
Almost 70% of full time workers in the United States are working from home during COVID-19. 80% of full-time workers expect to work from home at least three times per week after COVID-19 guidelines are lifted. - 1 Jul 2020, OWL Labs
75% of U.S. consumers indicate they would like to continue to work remotely at least occasionally, while more than half: 54% would like this to be their primary way of working. - 1 May 2020, IBM
84% of US workers planning a career change want more flexibility. - 30 Nov 2019, Indeed
44% of job seekers said a job with flexibility would have a “huge improvement” on their overall quality of life, and 53% said it would have a “positive impact.” 78% of people said having a flexible job would allow them to be healthier (eat better, exercise more, etc.), and 86% said they’d be less stressed. - 13 Aug 2019, FlexJobs
The top reasons employees seek flexible work are due to work-life balance (75%), family (45%), time savings (42%) and commute stress (41%). - 13 Aug 2019, FlexJobs
Flexible work appeals most to pet owners (28%), freelancers (25%), entrepreneurs (20%) and introverts (20%). - 13 Aug 2019, FlexJobs
90% of US employees say allowing for more flexible work arrangements and schedules will increase employee morale. 64% work remotely for some of the time. - 1 Oct 2018, Staples
Stats on people making a career change
4.3 million people left their jobs in August 2021 in the USA. - 12 Nov 2021, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Of 662 full-time U.S. workers surveyed, 49% have made a dramatic career shift and among those who haven’t, 65% say they’re either thinking about, or previously considered, switching. - 30 Oct 2019, Indeed
Stats on wanting a better work life balance
69% of Gen Z (aged 18-24) is not satisfied with their work-life balance, which is the lowest satisfaction rate of all generations. This is followed by Baby Boomers (aged 57-75) at 63%, Gen X (aged 41-56) at 55%, and Millennials (aged 25-40) at 48%, who are the most satisfied with work-life balance. - 9 Nov 2021, GoodHire
41% say they'd take a 10% pay cut for an organisation that cares more about their wellness. 78% of employees feel employers have a responsibility to keep them mentally and physically well. - 1 Oct 2018, Staples
Stats on number of people planning to change jobs
46 % of Millennials (aged 25-40) plan to move to a new job in the next 12 months. Baby Boomers (aged 57-75) are the least likely to be on the job hunt next year at 19%. - 9 Nov 2021, GoodHire
32% of employees plan to change jobs this year. - 23 Jul 2019, Careerbuilder
58% of next gen workers are looking to change companies in 2019. - 31 Jan 2019, The Muse
31% of workers say they are likely to change jobs in the next year. - 7 Dec 2017, Careerbuilder
Stats on why people make a career change
Nine out of ten individual contributors feel stressed at work. The biggest causes of stress at work was finding the time to get everything done and navigating office politics. - 12 Sep 2021, Development Dimensions International
57 percent of employees have left a job because of their manager. 14 percent have left multiple jobs because of their managers and a further 32 percent have seriously considered leaving because of their manager. - 12 Sep 2021, Development Dimensions International
The top five reasons people change career are: wanting better pay (47%), their job is too stressful (39%), want a better work-life balance (37%), wanted a new challenge (25%), no longer passionate about the field (23%). - 13 Dec 2019, Joblist
The top five reasons people change career are: being unhappy in previous job / sector (81%), wanting greater flexibility (79%), wanting to earn more money (79%), not feeling challenged or satisfied (78%), wanting more opportunities for advancement (77%). - 30 Oct 2019, Indeed
Stats on time it takes to make a career change
11 months is the average time career changers think about making a career change before making it. 83% plan their career change in advance. - 30 Nov 2019, Indeed
Stats on age of people making a career change
The average age of career changers in the US is 39. - 30 Oct 2019, Indeed
86% percent of professionals in their 20's are interested in changing careers. 66% of workers in their 30's and 60% of those in their 40's are interested in changing careers. - 13 Jul 2017, University of Phoenix
Stats on financing a career change
58% of US career changers are willing to take a pay cut to switch careers. - 30 Oct 2019, Indeed
Stats on what the blockers are to making a career change
81% of those interested in changing careers identify barriers to doing so. 29% percent said they can't afford to start over again; 24% don't know what new direction they would take, or lack adequate education or experience. - 13 Jul 2017, University of Phoenix
Stats on number of people wanting a career change
58% of working adults are interested in changing careers. - 13 Jul 2017, University of Phoenix
Stats on how people make a career change
7 in 10 employees value skills training more than degrees. - 2 Jul 2014, Glassdoor