The Age of the Flyer: Why Frequent Job Changing Has Become a Winning Strategy

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Until recently, frequent job changes were considered a sign of an irresponsible employee with a quarrelsome personality, ready to quit at any moment for a minor pay raise at a new job. Recruiters were wary of such candidates: what's the point of investing in finding and onboarding a flier if they're only going to leave soon anyway?

However, this phenomenon has now become widespread: one in three Russians plans to change jobs in the near future . In the US, the figure is even higher—one in two is planning to quit. It's impossible not to hire such job-hoppers—there are too many of them. And it's unlikely that all of them are bad or irresponsible employees: they simply don't see career growth prospects at their current companies. Few are satisfied with their salaries either. How should businesses treat employees who frequently change jobs? And how can employees themselves use the strategy of frequent job hopping to achieve their desired salary and position?

Frequent job hopping has become the norm not only in Russia. According to a survey conducted by Bankrate in late July 2024 , nearly half of Americans (48%) plan to change jobs within the next 12 months. The labor market is no longer as favorable for employees as it has been for the past few years: fewer jobs are being created in the US than expected, and unemployment is gradually rising (by 0.2 percentage points in July, to 4.3%). But even this isn't stopping tens of millions of people from seeking a better life.

Generation Z (18-27 year olds) are particularly eager to change jobs in the next year (64%). According to surveys, 83% of this generation consider themselves to be frequent job changers. Even if some aren't ready to change jobs in the next year, they'll likely try a little later. Respondents cite various reasons , but for 70%, it's salary. The situation is similar among other generations. Fifty-two percent of millennials (28-43 year olds) and even 45% of older Generation X (44-59 year olds) are ready to change jobs in the next year.

The situation is similar even in Asia, known for employee loyalty to their employers. According to a CNBC report citing a study, 43% of Zoomers and millennials in Hong Kong and Singapore are considering changing jobs. "The salary isn't even enough to pay bills and buy a house," the publication quotes one such employee. Jerome Zapata, HR director at Kickstart Ventures, quoted by CNBC, explains the reason for this: loyalty to companies is no longer rewarded. He argues that the winners are those who take a new job and can negotiate better terms at the hiring stage , because they speak "from a position of strength." After all, the hiring company needs a new employee.

Things used to be different, Zapata reminds us. If you remained loyal to a company, it would take care of you for your entire life. That's no longer the case. A steady job has long since ceased to offer the benefits it did in the 1980s and 1990s: corporate pensions have devalued, real wages are stagnant, and they're often insufficient to cover bills, let alone afford a home; perks like free food at the office don't compensate. Furthermore, 70% of workers fear being fired. As a result, there's simply no reason to stick around.

As The New York Times points out, young workers perceive companies as solely focused on increasing profits at any cost. As Jessica Kriegel, head of research at the consulting firm Culture Partners, noted in a commentary for the publication, frequent job hopping is explained by the ongoing erosion of the social contract between employer and employee. She also points out that during the COVID -19 recession , American companies laid off staff en masse, and now they've even begun doing so in advance, anticipating an economic downturn. "Employees look at this and feel like they've already lost what they thought they were getting—job security," Kriegel notes. In other words, if companies don't have long-term commitments to their employees, it's unclear why employees should have such commitments to them.

People with different motivations are better suited to the new environment. CNBC cites the story of 28-year-old recruiter Sarah (whose name has been changed to protect her career), who changed three jobs in three different industries in three years, increasing her annual salary by $50,000. She says it's important to carefully monitor which companies are hiring and avoid those that are laying off employees in any department. However, there's a catch: job descriptions don't always include salary information. Therefore, Sarah primarily sought out positions that represented her next career step and considered the prospects of various industries during the COVID-19 pandemic. When it became clear that the fashion industry, where she worked, was struggling, she moved to an investment firm, believing it to be more stable. Sarah also maintained connections with former colleagues from her previous jobs to stay informed about what was happening in different companies and industries. When the girl was offered to return to the fashion industry, she asked for and received a higher salary and a management position.

The New York Times cites the story of American Pranav Ravikumar, who also had three jobs by the age of 24. Immediately after graduating from university in 2020, he completed management training at the pharmaceutical company Abbott and became an e-commerce analyst there. However, this job required him to move away from his family and friends in Washington, D.C., to Oregon. This wasn't particularly convenient, so in 2021, he found a remote position at Dragonfly, a startup that acquires and develops small e-commerce businesses, and moved back to Washington. A few months later, Ravikumar asked his manager to include him in the company's strategy, but this didn't happen. A year later, he began looking for another job and found one – in marketing at Alma, which helps healthcare companies build businesses . As a result, Ravikumar nearly doubled his salary in just a few years and quickly gained experience across several industries.

Sarah and Ravikumar weren't the only US employees who managed to increase their salaries by frequently changing jobs. Sixty percent of employees who changed jobs between April 2021 and March 2022 achieved the same. Half of them increased their income by 9.7% or more. Among those who stayed in their current jobs, less than half received a raise, and this despite high inflation.

Employers, as expected, are unhappy with the new trend. Jeff Hyman, CEO of Chicago-based recruiting firm Recruit Rockstars, told The New York Times that frequent employee turnover is a serious headache for employers. The firing of a good employee can make others question their prospects at the company. Moreover, according to Hyman, the situation is getting worse. Other HR professionals complain that it has become difficult to evaluate employees who have been with the same company for less than two years.

Employee turnover can be even more dangerous for companies than it first appears. As French economist Thomas Piketty notes in his book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," employees are often required to develop specific skills that are needed only within a given company. These are so-called specific investments , and they are made by employees within the company. "For example, these could be work methods, organizational features, or specific skills related to a specific production process at a given enterprise," the economist explains. With the constant threat of layoffs, people may simply lack incentive to develop such skills. The situation is even worse if employees are constantly changing and don't have time to master them.

As Zapata of Kickstart Ventures emphasizes, it is the younger generation, prone to frequent job changes, that will shape corporate culture. Therefore, he says, companies must offer their employees more compensation and opportunities to retain them.

Russia has its own unique set of circumstances. "The labor market today is experiencing a unique situation," Natalia Golovanova, head of the Superjob research center, noted in a comment to RBC. "The majority of job seekers are employed, not unemployed. The unemployment rate is at a record low (2.4%), and companies are making efforts to retain staff." However, this is again forcing businesses to change their attitudes toward frequent employee turnover. "Employers are abandoning hiring barriers, and recruiters' attitudes toward job seekers' frequency are changing," Golovanova said. "The number of company representatives who view frequent job changes as a negative characteristic of a job seeker has decreased."

That's why Russia is also following this global trend. "Frequent job changes for higher salaries and career advancement are quite common in the Russian labor market," Yulia Sanina, Director of HR and Organizational Development at Rabota.ru, told RBC. "According to Rabota.ru's research, more than half of Russians (57%) are willing to change jobs if they receive a good offer." Moreover, salary is the primary factor. "Among the criteria respondents use to choose a new job, 83% of survey participants cited financial solvency," she noted.

As Maria Ignatova, Head of Marketing Research at hh.ru, noted, according to an hh.ru survey, only a third of respondents (31%) are currently satisfied with their salary. On average, Russians rated their job satisfaction at just 5.8 out of 10. Workers rate their career prospects even lower: only 8% of respondents say they are satisfied. Unsurprisingly, given such a bleak picture, Russians are willing to change not only their jobs but also their professions. Only 37% of respondents are not yet considering leaving their profession and retraining. This means that 63% of Russians are even prepared to take such a radical step.

Who in Russia makes sense to change jobs frequently? Ignatova explains that white-collar workers here have a better chance of getting a raise in their current position. "Due to the labor shortage, companies are forced to raise salaries not only and not so much for newly hired employees, but also for their current ones," she says. "There are situations where an employee receives an offer from another company, informs their manager, and receives a counteroffer from their current employer with a salary increase. In approximately 50% of cases, employers make such a counteroffer to retain a valuable employee."

According to Ignatova, blue-collar workers in Russia have long used the strategy of frequently changing jobs to increase their income. "The shortage of blue-collar workers, high-volume positions (cashiers, sales managers), and low-skilled jobs is much greater than in office jobs," she says. "These positions are easy to enter: they don't require a wide range of skills or multiple interviews. Moving from one company to another with a higher salary can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week." Employers in these industries turn a blind eye to the frequent job changes and low loyalty of job seekers.

But Ignatova still urges caution. "When considering a salary increase as part of a transfer to another company, it's important to consider the job search period and the loss of income during that period," she says. "However, getting multiple salary indexations within a year is unlikely. In large companies with established processes for employee evaluation and salary reviews, it's almost impossible to get a salary increase outside of the established periods."

By using a strategy of frequent job hopping, a person may gain in salary and opportunities, but lose in terms of building a compelling image for employers, notes Sanina. After all, it's always worth paying attention to the specifics of the individual's industry. "More conservative industries may view frequent job changes as a sign of frivolity and unreliability, while in fields that value creativity and project-based experience, such a professional's 'roadmap' is much more accepting," she notes.