Career Change Statistics

A Career is Not Forever

Changing careers is a well-established fact of employment. Vincent Van Gogh, the impressionist painter, was a schoolmaster, student priest missionary and art dealer before he became a painter.

Workers consider a career change for a variety of reasons including:

• Promotion – Advancement opportunities often lead to career changes.
• Unhappiness – The career loses its appeal.
• Obsolete skills – Job skills become obsolete or are no longer needed.
• Midlife needs – With age often comes the need for new challenges.

Promotion versus Career Change

It is often difficult to tell the difference between a promotion and a career change. A worker can be promoted and accept new responsibilities which may, or may not, be viewed as a career change. For example, a car mechanic in a tire dealership can be promoted to be the store manager. Management could be viewed as an additional skill or, the new job could be viewed as a career change.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor (DOL), also finds it impossible to define and track career changes. In fact, the agency does not even attempt to estimate the number of times that people change careers during their working lives and so the DOL does not issue career change statistics.

Unhappy at Any Age

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that men and women hold an average of about 14 jobs by the time they turn 40. The majority of these jobs are at the beginning of their working lives – when they are teenagers and in their early twenties. Job longevity tends to lengthen as the employee ages. However, longevity does not always mean that the employee is happy with their job.

Kelly Services, a major temporary staffing agency, reports that almost half of adults are not completely satisfied with the requirements, lack of flexibility, risks and compensation of their current jobs. Many of these individuals will consider changing careers.

Changing from Obsolete Skills

LifeTwo, a leading career counseling organization reports that their prior estimate of three careers in a lifetime is now in the process of increasing to as many as seven careers. This increase is predicted based on three key assumptions:

• Employees are growing less likely to remain at a specific company or in a specific career out of loyalty.
• Computer technology is providing the needs for, and the means to obtain new skill sets.
• Downsizing, automation and the growing amount of offshore manufacturing and servicing are motivating employees to move away from their obsolete skills in favor of another career opportunity.

Changing Careers at Midlife

It is common for employees to reevaluate their current career in terms of how they currently feel about what they want to do, what they want to earn and how they use their talents and strengths. This evaluation can take place at any age and may be initiated by a "milestone" birthday, losing a job to downsizing, forced retirement or a variety of other factors. The results of this evaluation may lead to a midlife career change.

Individuals in their fifties may become dissatisfied in the careers that they have had for 20 to 30 years and may start to look for a new career that will better meet their work, life and financial goals.

An AARP survey reports that six percent of workers over 50 are in the process of reconsidering their careers. They specify needs for:

• Entrepreneurial opportunities for part-time businesses
• Employment in locations which are closer to their children, even if it means moving out of state
• Shorter work days and work weeks with more flexible schedules
• Opportunities for adventure, volunteering and service

Career Change Statistics on Timing

Career coaches counsel their clients to expect a career change to take two to six years to implement. This timeframe includes researching the new career, job searches and interviewing, job skill training and getting settled in to the requirements of the new career. You need to make sure that you have evaluated all your options before you step out into something completely difference career-wise.