Are Millennials Really Job Hopping?

It’s a narrative we’ve seen mostly everywhere about millennials, that they are flippant in their professional ambitions and perhaps can only be relied upon to be unreliable. It’s true to an extent and yet also is it so different from previous generations.

Millennials are, at their most basic and fundamental, young people. They are young and therefore are simply not likely to be as settled as those people with children and marriages. It is no secret that the average age of marriage is going up and even by their 30s around half of people are unlikely to be married, however, the nuclear family is no longer the ideal, as it was say a couple of decades ago.

Those aged 18-30 are more atomistic than ever before but the generation that came before them were similarly inclined. Perhaps not to the same extent but times are changing and they affect everyone, not just millennials. The same stories were being repeated in the 1980s and 1990s because compared to the baby boomer generation, generation x were derided as troublesome layabouts with a lack of staying power.

It’s simply a case of déjà vu in 2018, with history simply repeating itself. As we modernise, what’s brought forward is a more nuanced look at the world.

Individualistic millennials are to be expected in a market which says you can do whatever you want to do and be whoever you want to be. Whether these ambitions should be tempered with a degree of realism is to be debated.

Job hopping is something that isn’t necessarily an entirely bad thing but it is a practice that is frowned upon by some employers. It can be a sign of dissatisfaction or even flakiness.

In short, employers are going to want someone they can trust will do an excellent job for a good period of time. They hire investments and often if the job is a permanent contract you can understand this point of view.

Having a revolving door policy with employees isn’t likely to present an image of professionalism and it’s also likely to slow down work as replacements have to be taught the system and the office dynamic. Employers simply don’t have the time.

However, it’s important to keep millennials elated with the knowledge that they can do whatever they want. There is no crime against starting on a path and deciding that you’d be better off doing something else and if you do, keep a check on The Job Auction for new jobs being posted! Why not auction your new skills or simply create a public profile for free to get noticed. An employer may well, then find you.

Let’s keep the narrative of reach for the stars going and if you aren’t feeling something you are perfectly entitled to find something else. Either way, Let’s #BoycottUnemployment today.