Nearly half (48%) of workers aged 18 to 29 are either actively looking for a new role or plan to do so in 2026, according to Totaljobs analysis released on 12 January.
Researchers found that overall, 41% of workers are actively looking for a new role or plan to do so in 2026, down slightly from 42% in 2025.
Movement is also high among workers under 40, rising to 47% of people aged 30 to 39.
Salary remains the most important factor for workers when choosing a job, cited by 81% of candidates. For those planning to move, higher pay (51%) was stated as the main motivation for doing so.
“Pay still matters to early career workers, as does salary transparency – but it’s no longer enough on its own,” said Nicola Weatherhead, VP of people operations and talent acquisition at recruitment company The Stepstone Group.
Weatherhead explained that The Stepstone Group has observed that workers who are entering employment for the first time are thinking hard about their future, and “they will only commit to organisations that show a clear commitment to them in return”.
She explained that this means visible career pathways, regular progression conversations and genuine investment in training and development.
Separate research from July 2025 by Gateway Commercial Finance, which surveyed 1,008 employees in the US, found that 58% of Gen Z professionals viewed their jobs as ‘situationships’ – short-term, low-commitment relationships not expected to last.
The study also found that 47% of those professionals planned to leave their job within a year of starting it, while nearly half said they felt ready to quit at any time.
Responding to both sets of data analysis, Cris Beswick, independent strategic advisor and author, said: “Gen Z aren’t commitment-phobic, but more commitment-sceptical.”
“They’ve watched companies optimise for short-term efficiency, while destroying the very conditions that create meaningful work,” he said.
If HR leaders want to fix this, they need to make fundamental shifts, Beswick suggested. Importantly, HR must encourage employers to “abandon innovation theatre,” he advised. “Gen Z spots performative culture instantly. They want genuine autonomy to solve real problems; they want genuine innovation-led cultures.”
He suggested that younger workers including Gen Z commit most to their jobs when they’re developing capabilities that transcend the organisation; “making them more valuable elsewhere paradoxically makes them stay”.
Kirsten Barnes, CEO of Bright Network, a career network for students and graduates, added that many early exits come down to “mismatched expectations”.
Barnes explained that when the reality of a role doesn’t line up with how it was described, particularly around workload, overtime, pay or progression, “younger employees are more likely to move on quickly”.
“Too often, employers offer strong development opportunities but fail to communicate them clearly, leaving younger workers feeling stuck or undervalued,” Weatherhead added.
Employers who combine fair pay with clarity on growth, skills and long-term prospects will be far better placed to keep younger talent engaged and loyal, she suggested.
Barnes added that at Bright Network, they are seeing more graduate employers engage with talent earlier, ideally from the first year of university rather than the final year.
“Early engagement helps build trust and employer brand loyalty by giving early-career candidates a realistic understanding of roles, culture and progression before they apply, reducing the risk of mismatch later on,” she suggested.
Employers that communicate honestly and invest in people are far more likely to build longer-term commitment, Barnes said.
Totaljobs analysed 21.6 million UK job vacancies using The Stepstone Group’s job ad analysis tool, spanning 2019 to 2025 and covering 23 industries and 21 major UK cities. Two surveys were run between 18 November and 26 November 2025, capturing views from 3,000 UK workers and 1,000 recruiters and HR professionals.
