Nearly half of American workers plan to look for a new job in the next six months, according to a new survey released by recruiting firm Robert Half. The number of workers considering changing jobs is growing rapidly. Robert Half found that 38% plan to look for work early in 2026, compared with 27% a year ago.
Robert Half president of operations Dawn Fay said via Yahoo Finance that experts say many employees are now rethinking their careers and asking whether their current jobs still align with their personal goals and future plans. Fahey said the change isn’t just coming from workers. As the business environment improves, companies also start hiring more people. She added that some employers expect AI (Artificial intelligence) increases productivity more than it actually does. Because of this, many companies are now trying to hire employees to fill important skills gaps.
Recruitment confidence continues to grow
Increased recruitment activity makes employees more confident about exploring new opportunities and switching employers. Another survey by The Conference Board found that nearly 6 in 10 human resources executives expect their companies to increase hiring in the next six months.
Healthcare is by far the most popular industry for people planning to change jobs. Robert Half said via Yahoo Finance that more than half of potential job seekers said they were interested in health care positions. Tech jobs are the second most popular choice among workers looking for new opportunities, according to the survey. Marketing positions also attract many employees who plan to change jobs.
Young workers are leading this trend. Most people planning to change jobs belong to Generation Z and Millennials. Older workers are much less interested in moving. Only about 2 in 10 baby boomers say they want to change employers. In contrast, more than half of workers aged 45 or younger said they were considering changing jobs.
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Why employees want new jobs
Better benefits and workplace benefits are the biggest reasons workers want new jobs. About 47% of respondents cited this as their main motivation. Career development is another important factor. About 43% said they wanted better opportunities for promotion and career development. Flexible work arrangements remain important. According to Yahoo Finance, about 39% of employees say they are looking for jobs that offer remote work options.
Higher wages also encourage workers to explore new positions. About 35% said higher pay was a key reason for their job search. Workplace burnout remains a problem. About 26% of employees said feeling exhausted or stressed forced them to look for another job. Recent economic data suggests that the U.S. labor market has improved compared with late last year, when it was much more difficult to find job openings.
U.S. job market improves
this U.S. economy There were 172,000 new jobs created in May, the third consecutive month of more than 100,000 jobs. A separate report from payroll firm ADP showed private employers added 122,000 jobs in the same month.
According to Yahoo Finance, Ruth Thomas, chief compensation strategist at Payscale, said many employees have been hanging on to their jobs because the uncertainty makes switching employers feel risky. Thomas said things are now starting to change as workers explore the job market more easily.
Thomas explained that in many white-collar and knowledge-based occupations, wages for new workers are growing faster than wages for existing workers. A new Payscale report identifies marketing operations, project management, compliance, quality control and risk analysis as the jobs that offer job seekers the biggest salary advantages.
Recruitment challenges remain
Despite these positive signs, experts warn that hiring conditions are not as strong as they appear. A recent report found that overall hiring demand has largely returned to early 2020 levels. COVID-19 pandemic. Data from Indeed shows job postings are now about the same as they were before the pandemic. Cory Stahle, senior economist at Indeed, said job seekers appear to be more proactive in their job search as the second half of the year begins, as reported by Yahoo Finance.
However, Stahler warned that workers are entering a labor market that still offers a mix of opportunities, depending on industry and occupation. He said health care jobs and skilled trade positions continue to perform well and remain in high demand.
Even so, he said overall hiring levels are still close to their lowest levels since 2013. Thomas agreed that caution remains despite recent improvements in the labor market. She said the hiring process was taking longer, competition for open positions remained fierce and employers now had more power in negotiations than they did two or three years ago. Thomas stressed, however, that the market was not frozen and there were still opportunities for workers with the right skills.
