UK workers are more likely to consider their current employment as a stop gap rather than part of a career
With the younger generation showing to be the most career-minded A new survey reveals that nearly half (46 percent) of Britons think of their current employment as a stop gap, whilst only two out of five (43 percent) say their current employment is part of a wider career. The research, which was carried out by Monster.co.uk and GfK, an independent international market research company, asked more than 8,000 workers including over 1,000 in the United Kingdom: “Do you view the work you do to be a career or just a job?”
Britain’s younger generations are the most likely to be career-minded, with 46 percent of those aged 18-35 stating they consider their employment as part of a career path rather than just being a job for the time being. The likelihood of having work which is seen as part of a career fell steadily with age, with 40 percent of those aged 50-64 and just 37 percent of those aged over-65 saying they had a career.
The research shows that income also affects how likely Brits are to consider their work part of a career. While more than three in five (61 percent) of the UKs’ top earners consider their employment a career rather than a job, this number slides to 49 percent of medium earners and just 30 percent of those on low incomes.“The UK workforce is split in terms of those who consider their current employment as part of a longer-term career,” commented Andy Sumner, Managing Director, Monster UK & Ireland. “Of course, some people take jobs that fall outside of their desired career out of necessity – as there just wasn’t the right opportunity at the right time. But these workers should never give up on their dreams – and as it’s a new year, there’s no better time to make a change. People have other passions outside of work, and a job is just a means to an end – however, as we have long working lives ahead of us, everyone deserves to find a job they find rewarding and enjoyable.”
Who has the most career-minded workforce?
When looking at the international results, the study reveals how seven countries rank in terms of the number of workers who say they consider their work part of a career. The results show that French and Canadian workers are the most likely to say they have a ‘career’ rather than ‘just a job’, with UK workers coming exactly mid-way in the rankings. Germans came out as the least likely to see their current employment as a career.“It is interesting that France and Canada top the rankings in terms of people seeing themselves as working within a career, when both also score highly on work-life balance: people in both countries work fewer hours than the average worker in an OECD-member country, according to the organisation’s Better Life Index,” comments Sumner. “Also, Germans are known for their hard-working attitude, but the results of the research show that seeing your employment as falling within a career is much less likely in Germany. Evidently each country has its own cultural norms,but regardless of how you view your work, no one should settle for a role that they don’t enjoy.”
Survey Data
Countries ranked in terms of number of workers who say they consider their work part of a career:
- France (70 percent)
- Canada (69 percent)
- US (57 percent)
- UK (43 percent)
- India (43 percent)
- Netherlands (38 percent)
- Germany (25 percent)
