Half of Global Employees Plan on Changing Careers

From mass layoffs to high unemployment rates, the human resource community saw the economy significantly affect the workforce. Despite the recent economic improvements, many workers around the globe plan on switching to other professions.

Economic Turbulence Causes Career Movement 
According to the latest survey by Monster.com, 53 percent of respondents said they are actively trying to change their profession. The job site polled visitors from April 29 to May 20 and received more than 3,400 responses. The U.S. was one of the countries seeing the greatest number of career changes, with 57 percent of survey participants reporting they are on the hunt for a new job. Other countries with a high number of potential professional transitions were the U.K. at 61 percent and Canada at 54 percent.

Many respondents said they were not actively seeking a new field but are open to it if they found a more lucrative profession. Thirty-three percent of global participants said entering another industry would depend on the job.

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The survey identified economic turbulence as the reason for the profession switch. Mary Slayter, a career advice expert for Monster.com, said the economy caused many workers to reevaluate their profession.

“It’s certainly wise to take broad economic trends into account when planning your career, but you want to be careful not to chase trendy jobs blindly,” Slayter said. “Information about economic trends can help you keep your expectations in check […] But you’ll still want to consider your temperament and natural talents, and how well they mesh with the day-to-day realities of the job.”

As more experienced employees look to new career prospects, HR professionals may start to see a boost in the amount of career changers apply for open entry- and mid-level positions.

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