More than half of professionals see the benefit of job hopping

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It looks like the number of job hoppers will only go up. According to new research from Robert Half, 64% of professionals polled think changing roles every few years can be beneficial - a 22% increase from a similar survey conducted four years ago.

The top perceived benefits include higher compensation (37%), gaining new skills (28%), and moving up the career ladder faster (22%).

The research further revealed those with a university qualification or higher see the most benefit in changing jobs every few years (67%), compared to 58% of those with college/associate, and 47% of those with high school or less.

By age, those ages 18 to 34 (75%) were more likely to view job hopping as beneficial compared to those ages 35 to 54 (59%), and those 55 and older (55%).

That said, they also see drawbacks in job hopping including being perceived as a flight risk (46%), being perceived as unstable (23%), and being perceived as not having viable experience (12%).

True enough, when CFOs were asked how likely they were to hire a candidate with a history of job hopping, 44% said they weren't likely to do so to avoid losing the employee in the future. Only a fifth (20%) said they were likely to hire the candidate, and 35% said there is no difference if the candidate is the right fit.

Thankfully, workers and managers are close to agreeing on what constitutes a job hopper, with professionals citing five role changes in 10 years, and CFOs citing six changes.

ALSO READ: 5 missed opportunities to engage and retain staff

Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half, commented: "In today's candidate-short market, keeping key performers engaged should be top of mind for managers. Businesses worried about losing talent to the competition should focus on improving corporate culture and strive to be the type of company employees want to stay with long term."

In line with that, Robert Half put together the following tips for managers to attract and retain workers:

• Make your company a great place to work Promote your organisation's reputation and values to attract candidates who have similar principles. Highlight advantages, such as a positive corporate culture and flexible scheduling options, that make employees feel respected and excited to come to work.
• Implement succession planning at all levels Have career path discussions with top talent so they understand how they can advance at your company.
• Invest in employees' growth Offering professional development opportunities can increase job satisfaction of existing staff and attract in-demand candidates.

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