A new study by the firm Kickresume surveyed 1,250 random U.S. LinkedIn profiles to find out how many U.S. citizens would rather switch companies or wait for promotion.
The method of randomised sampling has not been specified. However, the study found out that 58 percent of people are more likely to change jobs than to wait for promotion. This issue of deciding between switching companies or pursuing a promotion is something that many people have considered throughout their careers.
How likely is an internal promotion? Kickresume found that only 17 percent of people were promoted by their current employer in the last 5 years. With others, over half (58 percent) switched employers to pursue new roles in the same timeframe.
Out of those who got promoted, they spent an average time of two years and 4 months waiting for their next step on the career ladder. Those who switched employers did so an average of 3.7 times in a five year period, which equates to once every 1 year and 5 months. While a possible path to success, this represents a frequent number of job changes and could signal a commitment problem to prospective employers.
The survey also found a degree of fluidity in the employment area with 65 percent of workers ending up changing roles, whether through an internal promotion or switching to another company.
Stay or leave?
Kickresume found that there was a significant difference in the amount of people who were promoted compared to those who changed employers instead. The data shows that changing jobs is the more likely career decision across all U.S. regions.
Martin Poduška at Kickresume has told Digital Journal: “There have always been two paths to progress in a career—you either get promoted or start looking for a new job. However, our new survey suggests that for workers in today’s United States, only one of those paths seems to remain open. Promotions are rarer than people think.”
This is due to: “Factors such as at-will employment, the structure of the corporate ladder, and recent economic hiccups all contribute to the trend of increased job switching. It has proven to be easier than to wait for a promotion and offers greater opportunities for growth, at least speaking in the context of the USA.”
He adds some advice for those caught in the middle: If the promotion’s out of your reach, switching jobs may be the best way to progress in your career. However, it’s always wise to discuss potential advancements with the manager or HR before making the big decision.”
The Midwest has the highest number of people who were promoted
27 percent of citizens located in the Midwest earned a promotion in the past 5 years, which is the highest percentage out of all the US regions. The Midwest was followed closely by both the South and West, in both US regions, 26 percent of people earned a promotion in the past 5 years. In last place is the Northeast, with just 24 percent of Americans that received a promotion.
