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Job Seekers Embrace Career Mobility—Employment Insights from Express

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Illustration of a businessperson jumping from a small stack of coins on one outstretched hand to a larger stack of gold coins on another hand, symbolizing career growth, salary increase, or financial success. Background is blue with small white clouds.

Express Employment Professionals’ America Employed and Canada Employed series explore the state of employment in North America, including everything from hiring expectations and HR challenges to job seekers’ optimism and shrinking the skills gap. Learn about the latest insights uncovered in a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey. 

Job seekers are focusing on career mobility, often switching industries or roles for flexibility, fulfillment, and a better work culture. This trend reflects a broader shift in employment priorities, where job seekers are willing to make significant changes to find positions that align with their professional goals.

Fifty-eight percent of U.S. job seekers report they have switched careers at least once, and 76% believe it’s never too late. Only 14% have never switched careers and don’t plan to.

Among those who have switched careers or are interested in doing so, the most common reasons are:

  • Desire for more flexibility (51%)
  • Lack of advancement/fulfillment (46%)
  • Inadequate compensation (31%)
  • Skills better suited for another career (28%)
  • Desire for more time off (27%)
  • Looking for a more positive work culture (26%)
  • Transferring skills to faster-growing industries (22%)
Infographic titled ‘Top Reasons for Career Changes — U.S. Job Seekers’ showing five main factors with percentages: 51% want more flexibility, 46% cite lack of advancement or fulfillment, 31% feel not adequately compensated, 28% have skills suited for another career, and 27% want more time off. Visual design includes colorful arrows with businesspeople walking along them.

Canadian job seekers (84%) say they would switch careers if they had the resources and 74% report that seeing others working in non-traditional settings (e.g., working from home) influences their desire to pursue similar opportunities.

Common reasons among those who have switched careers or are interested in doing so include:

  • Desire for more time off (24%)
  • Desire for more flexibility (55%)
  • Lack of advancement/fulfillment (52%)
  • Looking for a more positive work culture (34%)
  • Inadequate compensation (33%)
  • Transferring skills to faster-growing industries (27%)
  • Skills better suited for another career (27%)
Infographic titled ‘Top Reasons for Career Changes — Canadian Job Seekers’ featuring five main factors with percentages: 56% want more flexibility, 52% cite lack of advancement or fulfillment, 34% seek a more positive work culture, 33% feel not adequately compensated, and 27% want to transfer skills to growing industries. Design includes colorful arrows with businesspeople walking along them.

Read more about the latest employment insights in America Employed at ExpressPros.com and Canada Employed at ExpressPros.ca. 

About Express Employment Professionals 

At Express Employment Professionals, we’re in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, employing 427,000 people globally in 2024 and more than 11 million since its inception. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com.

Last Updated on October 29, 2025

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