Job-hopping Filipino GenZs on 4th or 5th gigs share why

In less than five years, 26-year-old Elmer has had five jobs, learned multiple skills, and like most working youth his age, kept a slew of resumes to be sent to the next potential workplace with a few taps of his smartphone keys.

Jazz, 25, is in his fourth job and juggling his time between his eight-hour work and a side gig.

Being in a foreign land did not prove to be a hurdle for the 24-year-old Cath from pursuing her personal career goals to carve her niche and earn enough—after five employers, so far.

They are some of Generation Z's job hoppers, the workforce to be reckoned with at present.

Job-hoppers? 

At times referred to as “snowflakes,” Gen Zs often take the rap for their non-traditional choices and opinions. Whether in family set-ups or workplaces, they are seen as misguided youngsters who do not know what to do with their adult lives. Driven to explore new things and find their inner peace, Gen Zs are susceptible to change and are not quite sentimental towards different things, including work. 

Research conducted by ResumeLab in August 2023 showed that 83% of Gen Z employees in the United States consider themselves “job hoppers” or workers who change their jobs very often as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary. 

Based on the study, 43% of Gen Z respondents said they'd stay with a current employer for two years while 22% said they'd do so for three years. Thirteen percent said they'd stay for four years or more with their employer.

In the Philippines, some GenZs seemed to have learned from the experiences of the older generation who chose to stay with one company. The young ones appear to believe their loyalty should not be shortchanged with small salaries and a lack of opportunities to expand their skills and knowledge.

Elmer, a computer science graduate from a Manila university, can attest to this. 

Since finishing his degree in 2018, Elmer has already joined five companies. The shortest period in his employment record was nine months, and the main reasons for quitting were the measly compensation and a lack of opportunities to learn and grow. 

In five years, Elmer expanded his knowledge of information technology solutions for banks, remittances and payroll, cloud-based core banking systems applications, and software testing because of job-hopping. 

“I would prefer a high-paying job with generous benefits [even though] the workload is heavy. If the company provides compensation that suits the work they expect you to do, that makes the employee well-valued and appreciated,” Elmer told GMA News Online. 

“I would always say that loyalty won’t feed me or my family. They wanted to stay because of the employment record, but I didn't. I would stay If I am valued, mentored and given the opportunity to learn,” he added. 

Jazz

The same goes for Jazz, who finished college in 2021. Eager to look for his first job, Jazz accepted a job in a business process outsourcing (BPO) company near his residence in Bulacan. He was selling musical instruments for clients in the US but left the company after four months as he realized that the work routine was not for him. 

Jazz then found a digital marketing job in a startup company. While he appreciated the growth that came with the challenge of learning the ins and outs of online marketing, he felt burned out six months later. He tried to stay for a year in his second job, with his managers offering him a higher salary, but still, Jazz left it for his sanity, regardless of its possible implications for his employment record. 

“Ang pinaka-reason ko doon, iniisip ko, hindi ko dito gusto mag-grow. Hindi sya ‘yung work na in-imagine ko for myself. Saludo naman ako sa lahat ng mga BPO workers natin, pero for me, hindi lang talaga siya fit sa akin… Sa pangalawang job, sa digital marketing, parang sobrang bilis ng growth, sobrang dami kong kailangang aralin tapos napapagod akong mag-keep up to do all the tasks,” Jazz shared. 

(I realized I didn’t want to grow in this company. It’s not the work I imagined for myself. I admire BPO workers, but the job didn’t fit me.  As for the digital marketing job, I felt the growth was so fast, that I needed to review a lot and I got tired of keeping up with all the tasks.)

Having the digital marketing experience on his resume, Jazz applied for a project coordination job. In his third job, Jazz found a company where the eight-hour shift was followed and employees had a sponsored leisure time every week. 

It was a “breath of fresh air” for Jazz, but he only lasted for months as the pandemic affected the revenues of the company, forcing it to lay off some of its employees, including him. 

At present, he is juggling two jobs where he works in both companies as a paid ad specialist for clients in the US. He is enjoying the flexible schedule that his current jobs are giving him, on top of the generous salary.

Jazz said job hopping helped him explore his niche and earn more without getting burned out, not to mention the salary increase whenever he transferred to a new company.

“Ang sabi ko nga sa friends ko, at lagi din sinasabi ng friends ko na puro Gen Z, na kung nasaan ang pera, nandon kami.”  (Among us, Gen Z’s, we say: where the money is, we will be there.)

Cath, another Filipino Gen Z, who is working in the United Arab Emirates as a young architect, also sees job hopping as a way to reach her personal career goals. 

After finishing her Bachelor of Science in Architecture, she flew back to Abu Dhabi where she grew up with her family. 

Cath

Like Jazz, Cath was eager to get a job. She applied for a human resource job in 2021 but lasted for only six months because her salary made it difficult to make ends meet.

She moved to another job and worked as a junior architect but stayed for only nine months before deciding to move to Dubai. Cath got another job but left after just a month because of the low pay.

In her fourth job since graduation, Cath found a company that paid well. She, however, would not handle the pressures of being the only architect in the firm. 

“It was fine salary-wise, but I hated my boss, sorry to say. He gave me so much pressure because I was the only architect…I had to go to site visits, produce architectural drawings all by myself, I would go to meetings. So I don't really like the pressure and I wasn't enjoying the workload anymore,” Cath said. 

After nine months in that company, Cath left and got a new job in December 2023 which paid well and had a healthier work environment. 

Although her career decisions were once questioned by her parents, Cath said that moving from one job to another helped her reach her career goal and get the salary that she wanted.

“To me what’s important is to reach my personal goal that hold on to a job that won’t let you flourish,” she said.

Value for self

Elmer, Jazz, and Cath shared the same view that job hopping is worth the risk.

“They could go on and tell you about their ‘time’ and that when they were my age, they stayed longer in the company for many different reasons. We have already heard those stories, so it's really up to you if you want to be in the same situation. For me, it's no longer just meeting the companies’ expectations. It’s more of if the company meets your expectations– may it be money, opportunities, or work environment,” Elmer said

“They could say that people of my generation are soft and privileged for leaving the company but it's actually not, we just learned how to value ourselves, we are actually learning how to value mental health,’ he added. 

These Gen Zs believe that job hopping won’t affect how their future employers might view their track record. 

“In my observation, the employers today are actually more understanding and adaptive. They don’t tend to dive well on the employment record. They care more about your experiences or if you fit the job qualifications they are looking for. They seem to know what’s happening and why people like me switch jobs more often,” Elmer said.

Cath experienced being declined by companies due to her employment record.  But she said she was not bothered.  If one employer does not want her, maybe another one will take her in.

These sentiments were reflected in LinkedIn’s study conducted from December 2021 to January 2022, which indicated that some 25% of Gen Z workers in America hope or plan to leave their current employers and that 80% of them seek better alignment with their values, 76% of which look for more opportunities to learn or practice new skills, and 61% want more opportunities to move up or increase their responsibilities. 

The LinkedIn study concluded that “youngest professionals in the workforce are pushing hardest for personal growth in the right setting. Meanwhile, older generations don’t have as much need for change.”

Talent-retention

Perry Ferrer, one of the governors of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and chairman of the organization’s Jobs Committee, said he would not call this trend among Gen Zs “job hopping.” 

He said that the “younger generation is keen to exploring new opportunities or careers than the ‘older generation.’”

He said this was bolstered by social media and digitalization as these made for an easier transition to finding new jobs. 

“Gen Z workers are motivated to learn new things. If the company is able to provide this environment, the worker will last a little longer. If the employer is ‘old generation,’ don’t expect the workers to last five years,” Ferrer said. 

For employers, Ferrer said companies should prepare and expect a three-to-five-year tenure for Gen Z workers. 

“If employers expect to have long-term employees with the young generation, the employer will [be] up for a surprise… If the employer is not prepared, it is disruptive, but if [the] human resource is aware and trains for succession, there will be minimal disruption,” Ferrer said.

According to Ferrer, employers are adjusting to this 

job-hopping trend by focusing on succession planning and worker pipeline. On top of these, companies are reassessing their approach to hiring and talent retention. 

But the one tip that Ferrer wants to share with Gen Z workers is no different from Elmer, Jazz, and Cath’s perspective towards their careers. 

That is to “find a career that matches your skill and personality, then find an employer that can provide and show a roadmap to your goals.” —LDF/NB, GMA Integrated News