Why young workers serve shorter stints

OSCAR (not his real name) has switched jobs twice in the last 2 years, put off by long working hours, a lack of work-life balance, and a dearth of growth opportunities – and he is far from the only example. Recruiters say that, anecdotally, more young workers are serving shorter stints of 2 to 3 years with their employers.

While some might see him as a stereotypical “millennial job hopper”, Oscar said that he was after a workplace where the culture aligned with his own. When it was clear that his previous employers were not able to provide this, he did not see any merits in staying.

“My mental health was really bad during my first job, so depression and anxiety were why I quit,” he said. “For the second one, I just didn’t see myself growing in this role so from my perspective there was no point being in a company which I don’t think (has) adequate learning resources or clear progression structure.”