Half of Britons see current job as a stopgap, finds Monster.co.uk
23 January 2014
Nearly half of Britons think of their current job as a stopgap, according to research from job site Monster.co.uk.
Thu, 23 Jan 2014Nearly half of Britons think of their current job as a stopgap, according to research from job site Monster.co.uk.
When asked ‘Do you view the work you do to be career or just a job?’, 46% of the 1,000 UK respondents said they saw it as a job. In comparison, 70% of French respondents and 57% of those surveyed in the US think of their current role as part of a career path (see table below).
1. France (70%)
2. Canada (69%)
3. US (57%)
4. UK (43%)
5. India (43%)
6. Netherlands (38%)
7. Germany (25%)
According to Monster, “Britain’s younger generations are the most likely to be career-minded, with 46% of those aged 18-35 stating they consider their employment as part of a career path rather than just being a job for the time being”.
The study shows that the likelihood of having work that is seen as part of a career fell steadily with age, with 40% of those aged 50-64 and just 37% of those aged over-65 saying they had a career.
Andy Sumner, managing director, Monster UK & Ireland, says: “It is interesting that France and Canada top the rankings in terms of people seeing themselves as working within a career, when both also score highly on work-life balance: people in both countries work fewer hours than the average worker in an OECD-member country, according to the organisation’s Better Life Index.
“Also, Germans are known for their hard-working attitude, but the results of the research show that seeing your employment as falling within a career is much less likely in Germany.”
The research reveals that income also affects how likely Brits are to consider their work part of a career. While more than three in five (61%) of the UK’s top earners consider their employment a career rather than a job, this number slips to 49% of medium earners and just 30% of those on low incomes.
When asked ‘Do you view the work you do to be career or just a job?’, 46% of the 1,000 UK respondents said they saw it as a job. In comparison, 70% of French respondents and 57% of those surveyed in the US think of their current role as part of a career path (see table below).
1. France (70%)
2. Canada (69%)
3. US (57%)
4. UK (43%)
5. India (43%)
6. Netherlands (38%)
7. Germany (25%)
According to Monster, “Britain’s younger generations are the most likely to be career-minded, with 46% of those aged 18-35 stating they consider their employment as part of a career path rather than just being a job for the time being”.
The study shows that the likelihood of having work that is seen as part of a career fell steadily with age, with 40% of those aged 50-64 and just 37% of those aged over-65 saying they had a career.
Andy Sumner, managing director, Monster UK & Ireland, says: “It is interesting that France and Canada top the rankings in terms of people seeing themselves as working within a career, when both also score highly on work-life balance: people in both countries work fewer hours than the average worker in an OECD-member country, according to the organisation’s Better Life Index.
“Also, Germans are known for their hard-working attitude, but the results of the research show that seeing your employment as falling within a career is much less likely in Germany.”
The research reveals that income also affects how likely Brits are to consider their work part of a career. While more than three in five (61%) of the UK’s top earners consider their employment a career rather than a job, this number slips to 49% of medium earners and just 30% of those on low incomes.
