By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer
When will you leave your current job?
Your answer is probably much different than it would have been 10 years ago.
Workers today aren't staying with their employers as long as they once did. Job seekers used to approach a new job as a path to retirement, but now they view it as a way to gain experience until they're ready for a better opportunity. Job hopping is the new norm for many workers and it's gaining popularity.
The influence of the Millennials
Although job hopping isn't an overnight phenomenon, workers under 25, also known as Millennials and Gen-Y, are considered the catalysts for the trend. As a whole, this generation of workers is more assertive than previous ones, and they have a laundry list of demands.
Millennials want more money than previous generations, a healthy work-life balance and a job with a sense of purpose, according to Nicholas Aretakis, author of "No More Ramen: The 20-Something's Real World Survival Guide."
Millennials look for jobs that pay well, don't interfere with their personal lives and give them a sense of purpose, Aretakis says. They don't know if they'll stay with an employer longer than a couple of years, so the traditional view of company loyalty isn't a chief concern for them.
The new reality
Job hopping isn't necessarily a self-serving tool of "Generation Me." It's necessary for survival in the current job market.
"The fast moving pace of this century does not embrace staying still, and this includes staying still in one job," says Tina Hamilton, founder of human resources company HireVision Group.
After all, hoping to stick with one employer for the rest of your career isn't a realistic expectation, she points out. "Layoffs are commonplace, 'change management' is a job title, and loyalty means being honest and working with integrity -- not staying at a company until retirement."
How it affects everybody
Job hopping might have hit its stride with Millennials but it's catching on with workers of all generations.
"Gen X fits in between attrition rates of Gen Y and baby boomers, recognizing a need to stay a bit longer, but not nearly as patient or committed as boomers," Aretakis says. "Only three in 10 Gen-Xers have been with their employer for 10 years. Boomers, on the other hand, work for the same employer three times longer than Gen-Xers."
Aretakis has also seen an increasing amount of once-loyal boomers looking for new jobs and careers than before, supporting the idea that job hopping is not a trend but rather a new way of life.
Employers, meanwhile, want to retain their employees for as long as possible. Once you consider how much time and money it takes to post a new job then recruit, interview and train a new candidate, you can appreciate the value of a long-term employee.
Even if you are a long-term employee with no plans for a career change, you can still reap the benefits of perks that employers adopt to attract job-hopping Millennials. For example, flexible schedules and telecommuting become options for everyone in the company, not just twentysomethings.
Even the benefits that aren't necessarily written into a company's guidelines can still improve everyone's job situation. For example, according to Aretakis, improved communication between management and lower-level employees, mentorship opportunities, opportunities for career advancement and an overall positive environment keep Millennials with a company.
Changes are already affecting the work world at large.
"While I can't imagine a world that ever embraces an employee that changes jobs every 24 months or less, we have already moved to accepting every three to five years as a 'steady work history,'" Hamilton adds.
Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.
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