In the past 18 months, Anna, 29, has had three jobs. In that time, the London-based digital marketer has fast-tracked her career. With each move, she’s worked with higher-profile clients, gained greater experience and acquired deeper skills that now give her leverage in a buoyant job market.
There has also been another significant pay-off: Anna’s successive job moves have meant her salary has grown by 30% in a short space of time. “I simply wouldn’t be in the position I am now unless I kept changing jobs,” she explains. “I started at a small start-up, and have quickly worked my way up. Each role has been an upgrade on the one before – I wouldn’t be on the pay I am now by waiting for a promotion.”
Rather than strategically planning her moves, Anna, whose surname is being withheld for career concerns, says she’s opted to change jobs – even industries – whenever a better opportunity has arisen. “Unless I really enjoy the role, I don’t see the point in staying for years just for the sake of it,” she adds. “If I can find more fulfilling work and effectively gain a promotion elsewhere, then how long I’ve stayed at a company shouldn’t matter.”
Workers like Anna who forego the traditional career-ladder climb, and instead jump from role to role, have often been stigmatised; in the 1970s, job hopping was likened to vagrancy and branded ‘Hobo Syndrome’ by industrial psychologists. As such, the practice has received a bad rap in many quarters; from recruiters and executives, but also older workers for whom accruing career capital was a hallmark of professional life.
However, these stereotypes may be outdated. In a tight labour market and an environment where companies show less and less loyalty to workers, many of those who job hop are reaping the rewards, gaining sizable pay rises and greatly accelerating their career progression. The question: is this approach to employment sustainable – and can it come back to haunt those making so many rapid moves?
In many cases, when workers job hop, they effectively take bigger strides down their career path. “When people change jobs, they collect skills, abilities and knowledge they can use in a future role,” says Lake. “A worker that’s job hopped will likely have a greater wealth of experience to draw from, leading to a wider variety of jobs and companies available to them.”
Lauren Thomas, European economist at company-reviews website Glassdoor, based in London, says workers often job hop because of slow internal processes at their company. “Moving to a new job can be a faster and easier way to progress to the next level in a career.”
Employees are often financially rewarded for switching roles, too. In the UK, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows workers who change jobs within a year of beginning a role have consistently higher hourly wage growth over those who stay; workers aged 16 to 24 make the biggest salary gains. In the US, an analysis of 18 million worker salaries showed the wages of job switchers in 2021 outpaced those who stayed in a role; in some industries, workers received nearly a 12% pay rise.
“Job hopping is one of the easiest ways to gain a significant salary increase,” says Thomas. “While staying for a long time in the same role can result in below-market pay, finding a new job usually means instantly receiving the market rate.”
switching roles - zmieniający pracę
career riches - zawodowe bonusy
fast-track - przyśpieszyć
leverage - przewaga, argumenty
buoyant job market - szybko rozwijający się rynek pracy
significant pay-off - znacząca korzyść
have quickly worked my way up - szybko wspięłam się w górę
better opportunity has arisen - pojawiła się lepsza okazja
I don’t see the point - nie widzę sensu
more fulfilling work - praca bardziej spełniająca oczekiwania
forego the traditional career-ladder climb - pomijają tradycyjne wspinania się po szczeblach kariery
job hopping was likened to vagrancy - częsta zmiana pracy była porównywana do włóczęgostwa
bad rap - zła opinia
these stereotypes may be outdated - te stereotypy mogą być przestarzałe
reap the rewards - być nagradzanym
greatly accelerating their career progression - w znacznym stopniu przyśpieszają rozwój swojej kariery
come back to haunt - później zaszkodzić
take bigger strides - robić większe kroki
greater wealth of experience - większe doświadczenie
wider variety of jobs and companies - szersze spektrum stanowisk i firm
financially rewarded - nagradzani finansowo
within a year of beginning a role - mniej niż rok od rozpoczęcia pracy
gain a significant salary increase - otrzymać znaczący wzrost wynagrodzenia