Being labelled a millennial can be an insult, a compliment, or a matter-of-fact description. But what really makes millennials who they are?
Millennials are said to be many of these adjectives: narcissistic, free-spirited, lazy, ambitious, impatient, and driven. Born roughly between 1980 and 2000, millennials in the Philippines, according to estimated figures cited by SGV & Co., are 35 million, a huge group comprising one-third of the total population. With this number comes an optimistic projection for career growth: by 2020, millennials all over the world will make up 50% of the total workforce, according to a recent international survey by PwC. The evidence is in that five years from now, millennials will be the most powerful generational group.
But the road to a bright future does not appear to be paved with clear-cut job directions. According to labor statistics, millennials habitually switch jobs every one to three years. The trend reveals that a straight path is not characteristic of millennial career development. Jumping from one company to another and even from one field to another, millennials are for this reason tagged as a “fickle generation,” impaired by the constancy of career shifts. But millennials themselves prove that the negative connotation on job hopping is inaccurate. Success stories today in diverse fields such as technology, corporate business, education, and social work have behind them the strong presence of millennials who blazed new trails by shifting and changing traditional career paths.
Let us round up 7 reasons why job hopping persists among millennials and see how these reasons fuel their drive for happiness, creativity, meaning, and greatness.
1. “It’s the Economy, Stupid!”
The famous statement is Bill Clinton’s. It draws attention to the pervasive force of the economy on social life. How to understand this in the case of millennial job hunting?
Based on the Pew Research Center survey, the career shift among millennials underscores the challenges brought upon them by recessions and adjustments in the economic landscape. The survey also helps to clarify that millennials have a hit-and-run approach to jobs not because they do not value job security, but because they value career opportunity.
Millennials will not stay put and earn based on what the economy can provide them as their “proper” job. Economic changes influence millennial career trends and job hopping for them signify a sense of fearlessness to go against economic tides.
2. Emotional Intelligence and Stronger Focus
Does job hopping make millennials erratic and intellectually less capable? According to cognitive neuro-scientist and business psychologist Lynda Shaw, that’s not necessarily the case. Shaw argues that millennials are in fact better endowed with emotional intelligence and have a more serious outlook than previous generations. “[Millennials] are observant, responsive, and they react accordingly,” she stresses.
In a sea of diversity and independent aspirations, what millennials want in a job is something enabling for their multiple cognitive abilities. If a job does not suit and enable the millennial’s diverse talents and intelligence, the search for the next opportunity becomes inevitable.
Millennials feel their intelligence and abilities are stifled in more hierarchically structured organizations. Millennials seek diversity for their career growth and they do not lose focus of its importance in their search for the ideal job.
3. Technology in Millennials’ DNA
Life without new technology is inconceivable for millennials. New technological advancements —cable TV, smartphones, and the Internet—are imprinted on the millennials’ DNA. In fact, in a 2014 survey conducted by Nielsen, millennials ranked “use of technology” as the top characteristic that makes them unique.
Millennials also see the impact of technologies on their lives in a positive light. In particular, they consider new technology as invaluable in making their lives easier. Thus, with the constant development in technology, millennials are rapidly expanding their views of what’s possible for them in terms of employment.
A career advice for millennials is to make productive use of online networking and employment platforms such as Linkedln and Jobstreet to access handy information about possible jobs they want to do and for what company. Information technology allows millennials to form expectations and explore based on what’s available for them in a competitive market. With the help of technology, millennial career development becomes empowered by an informed search for job opportunities.
4. Happy Generation
Today’s Filipino millennial have the happiest and least stressed disposition in the world, and they will stop at nothing to find a job that fits the bill. Such is the finding of a 2013 study conducted by the international media firm Viacom International Media Networks.
According to the study, the happiness level of Filipino millennials is 83%, followed by Indian millennials with 81% and the Chinese with 80%. The general importance of happiness for millennials explains why their employment mindset is geared toward jobs that allow them to find satisfaction in what they do. More companies understand this demand.
For instance, the rise of the BPO industry in the country, which conveniently provides millennials a job market, has popularized the concept of integrating rewards and incentives for good performance, mentorship programs, and fun events such as outfit-themed days at the office. Call center millennials are given a venue to simultaneously work and sustain their happy thinking. A working environment that is enjoyable and productive fortifies the happy outlook of millennials.
5. Exploring while Learning
The analogy of the millennials’ need for happiness is finding the answer to their life’s purpose. A 2012 survey by Net Impact found that job hopping allows millennials greater job fulfillment because they are able to try various roles and workplaces while learning skills in the process.
In the Philippines, as explained by Global Process Manager Inc. (GPM) President Erik Moller Nielsen, the learning ability honed in a call center comes in the form of extra language and work training taking place not in schools but in the actual BPO companies. Trying it out in the thriving BPO industry appeals to call center agents without experience because they get to work while learning to develop their skills and talents. As both working and learning are essential for millennials, Nielsen is optimistic that what the BPO industry can offer them will keep the pool of call center talent in the country healthy.
6. Part of Something Bigger
While Baby Boomers of the 60s and 70s were inducted to work with an eye on gaining stability and raising a family, today’s millennial dreamers see themselves as part of something bigger than just their job and family life.
Millennials see the value of stability demonstrated by the career path of their predecessors, but it is not enough for them to simply settle. An important aspect of the career objectives of millennials is to work for an organization where their skills are developed and their position plays into the organization’s overall success. And just like in job hunting, millennials according to statistics are willing to delay marriage in their search for the “the one.” Millennials seek career growth in both their professional and personal relationships where they feel most appreciated for giving their best.
7. Work and Life Balance
A job that disrupts work-life balance is a big “no” for millennials. For this reason, millennial career development places more importance on wellness than previous generations. Data from a survey compiled by Goldman Sachs show that millennials exercise more and eat healthy compared to Generation X and Baby Boomers. But work-life balance does not only mean personal wellness for millennials.
In a five-year poll conducted by the London Business School, almost two-fifths of millennials look for bosses who strive to make the world, not just the organization, a better place. For this reason, material wants and profits, while not avoided by millennials, do not strongly command their career goals. Millennials challenge themselves to strike a balance between work and life, “me and we” and this is reflected in their search for workplaces that appeal to their nurturing desire not just for themselves but also for others.
Understanding why job hopping is persistent among millennials reveals an upside perspective in their search for the best job and workplace. Job hopping for millennials is not an unending process; it is also not an end in itself. The goal is to find the best possible employment and the place where they can expand their skill set, receive competitive compensation, gain knowledge, and have access to new technology. All these while maintaining what they value—happiness, purpose, balance, and growth.
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