Britain's bosses to face a rush of resignations as fortysomething workers chase fulfilment, according to research by Norwich Union.

It found that 66% of people are "unfulfilled", "miserable" or "drifting" in their jobs, and 52% claim they would happily earn less money in a role that made them feel better about themselves. It found that the North East, the North West and Scotland have the highest proportion of dissatisfied workers.

The survey found that people start planning for their second careers typically around the age of 36.

It found that financial commitments (66%), lack of training/qualifications (34%) and also fear of failure (25%) restricts workers from moving into compassionate careers now.

Animal welfare worker, counsellor, yoga teacher, gardener, artist and politician, feature on the list of compassionate careers being planned.

William Nelson, of trend analysts the Future Foundation, says: "Rising affluence and high employment levels mean most of us now feel pretty secure in providing for our basic needs, especially once we are established in careers and the housing market.

"The ethical and spiritual dimensions of work therefore are more of a priority, and people want to believe their careers contribute towards a better future - not just for themselves but for society as a whole."

The survey found the trend, being labelled "Zenployment", has led to 28% of people to call on their current employers to provide them with the opportunity to do unrelated charity, or pro bono work in their field.