Young
people between the ages of 25-35 are in danger of being caught in a career trap
and are leaving their jobs in pursuit of more fulfilling work, a new report
claims.
Debt,
difficulties in combining work with their wider life ambitions and employers
who fail to listen are cited as key reasons, according to research by
leadership development organisation Common Purpose.
The
report, Searching for Something, shows that the danger age when employers can
lose their most talented young employees is 30.
The
research of more than 1,000 people reveals that ambitious young people feel
trapped at work, with nearly half (48 per cent) admitting they feel stuck in
their current jobs.
•
Lack of hard cash is blamed by 56 per cent of high-fliers, who stay put to pay
off debts. While the majority of talented young people want purpose from their
work as well as reward, it appears the reality doesn’t match the dreams
•
Nearly nine out of 10 (87 per cent) are seeking careers that fulfill their
potential at work as well as add purpose to their lives, yet 59 per cent admit
their job doesn’t fulfill their wider life ambitions
•
While 74 per cent are happy with their lives in general, just 57 per cent can
say this about their careers
•
This quarter-life crisis is a reality for 83 per cent of respondents, with most
citing 30 as the age when this happens.
Employers
need to act quickly to avoid losing their young high performers.
•
More than eight out of 10 (82 per cent) believe that organisations risk losing
their high-fliers through failing to listen to their life ambitions as well as
their career ambitions
•
As a result, more than half (57 per cent) admit they are looking for a new job
right now and over a quarter hope to change jobs within the year.
Other
priorities for young people include diversity, community involvement and having
positive role models to learn from and guide them through the early stages of
their careers.
Julia
Middleton, chief executive and founder of Common Purpose, said: “These findings
are a warning shot across the bows for employers. Emerging leaders want to make
a good living, but they also want to make a difference. Employers who invest
time in providing opportunities for their fast trackers to explore how society
works and get engaged in the wider world will hang on to their talent. Those
who don’t and who force young managers to choose between work and making a
difference, won’t.”
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