Whether it be a change of interest, search for greater financial success, job termination, or simply a change of scenery, Australians are often changing the course of their job and career. Many times Australians bounce between a few jobs, before finding the one that is best for them. At this point, they often settle in and remain employed in that capacity for a while. Based largely on key surveys by Valued Opinions™, here are the main things you need to know about career changes and satisfaction in Australia.
Length of Employment
Length of employment is, of course, directly tied to frequency of career change. The numbers from the polls by Valued Opinions, where participants earn rewards which can be redeemed for vouchers for popular Australian brands such as Woolworths, show that most Australians don’t have great length of employment, and therefore have a high rate of career change. Valued Opinions polled Australians of both genders and all ages, and asked them the longest time spent in any full time employment. For the age brackets 45-54, 55-64, and 65+, both genders had 10 or more years as the most popular answer, but shorter periods of time were also prevalent. Age group 35-44 had 5-10 years as the most popular answer (for both genders), while the 25-34 bracket selected just 2-5 years as their most popular response. For those 15-24, 2-5 years was the most popular choice among women, while just 1-2 years was most popular among men.
While this shows that a large quantity of Australians have spent a serious chunk of time at one job, it also represents how many Australians—especially those under 50—have spent the majority of their adult life bouncing around at different jobs.
Job Satisfaction
For the most part, Australians are very happy with their jobs. The majority of Australians report that they are happy with their job, and that their happiness has been increasing.
Of course, job happiness [1] usually results in job longevity. Australians that are happy at their jobs are likely doing well, and are less likely to seek greener pastures (meaning that they’ll probably stay at their current employment for quite some time).
Australian Economy
While Australian workers are reporting greater happiness with their jobs, they’re also revealing much stronger fear at the current state of the Australian economy. This partially counteracts the longevity provided by job happiness; when workers are financially worried, they are more likely to job search for employment with greater fiscal opportunities.
As it is, over 75% [2] of Australian employees say that they are open to a new job opportunity, which certainly suggests that career turnover will continue to be a frequent practice in Australia.
According to the surveys conducted by Valued Opinions, it is most common for Australian workers to have their first job last only 2-5 years. This means that they’re already changing work places at a relatively young age.
Like everyone else, Australians change their jobs and possibly career with some regularity. But despite the constant change, they are relatively happy with their work, which is most important.
This article has been written by a third party. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Research Now or its Valued Opinions™ panel. The statistics referred to in this article were collected from pre-screener questions directed to members of Research Now’s Valued Opinions panel during July 2013. The information is presented without warranty, express or implied.”
1 Kristen Gregory, Neumann University, www.neumann.edu
2 Career One, www.careerone.com.au
