Half of workers would be willing to switch careers entirely – for better pay.
A study of 1,000 UK employees revealed the factors that would motivate professionals to pursue an entirely new vocation, including wanting different benefits (19%) and better job security (17%).
Half of UK workers would switch careers if it meant earning better pay
And as well as salary, they would also make the change in order to feel more fulfilled (28%) and to learn something new (23%).
With 19% saying they’d be persuaded if it meant furthering their career progression.
However, age concerns (35%), success at their current job (34%) and comfort with their salary (29%) are dissuading respondents from moving on.
Richa Gupta, chief human resources officer at global employment platform G-P, which commissioned the research, said: “Employees are prioritizing what means the most to them – and that includes opportunities to reskill and learn something new.
“Investing in their engagement, well-being and creating chances for professional development provide a positive path forward now and in the future.”
The study also found only 10% are concerned about the classes they’d have to take if they switched careers.
In fact, employees would be willing to do an average of two more years of schooling or training if it came to it.
And although 66% of workers are happy at their current job, those that plan to switch roles intend on doing so within the next two years.
Among the reasons they are staying at their existing role are their coworkers (32%), the work itself (29%) and the hours (22%).
But on the flip side, if employees were able to, they would still like to address their current hours (28%), their health care benefits (27%) and the commute time (22%) in their current role.
It also emerged almost three in five (57%) have successfully switched careers at one point or another, and 35% even found it to be an easy transition.
The survey, conducted via OnePoll, also aimed to uncover what the future holds career-wise as well as how employees are looking to grow professionally.
It found 65% of respondents feel their quality of work decreases when they aren’t happy at their job.
When looking at a career switch, overall, employees are most interested in the “arts” portion of a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) career (22%) — but science (20%) and technology (20%) didn’t fall far behind.
More specifically, careers in creative arts and design (10%), environment and agriculture (10%) and media (9%) are more sought after.
While 35% are looking for companies that have health care benefits and 31% want communication and collaboration from upper management.
Bob Cahill, CEO of G-P added: “This data shows that most workers are currently, and will continue to be, invested in their professional future.
“People want to be prepared in times of change and ready for new opportunities and that includes considering new kinds of careers.
“This is heightened by the fact that the global talent pool is undergoing a dramatic, unprecedented shift.
“If you factor in the possibility of hiring talent remotely and combine it with the willingness workers have to put in the time it takes to train and develop, employers have an opportunity to hire the team members they need for their hard to fill positions — particularly within the technology sector.
“This presents a clear opportunity for employers to think about how they recruit, hire and manage their workforce.”
