'Hoppers vs lifers' | Do firms prefer employees with long or short-term career goals?

‘Hoppers’, categorised by frequent company moves and ‘Lifers’, known for their longer tenures, are the two dominant traits among today’s workforce.

There’s a widespread notion that younger workers are less keen on staying in one position for too long, but a new study shows a large percentage of Gen-Z and Millennial are gravitating towards a long-term career strategy.

In fact, leading recruiter Michael Page’s latest Pulse report - a survey of 5,000 working adults - has debunked the theory that workplace loyalty is a thing of the past, revealing that 35% of those aged between 18-34 would be willing to stay with their current company long-term thanks to opportunities to develop new skills.

The quarterly study shines a light on the two distinct identities emerging amongst today’s workforce – ‘hoppers’ and ‘lifers’ – as well as the benefits each approach brings for an employer.