2007 - The year of the career change?

It may be the year of the pig in the Chinese calendar, but 2007 looks set to be the year of career change, according to leading financial recruitment consultancy, FSS. In a recent survey of candidates and its website users, FSS found that 40 per cent of respondents were ënot even closeí to being where they hoped to be career-wise at their age, with a further 43 per cent claiming they ëhave some catching up to doí.

When asked what work-related issue they intended resolving during 2007, over half (57 per cent) of respondents said they intended changing jobs (30 per cent) or undertaking a total career change (27 per cent). Only four per cent resolved to gain a promotion, with 15 per cent holding out for a salary increase.

Reflecting on 2006, over one quarter (27 per cent) of respondents said that their biggest career achievement was changing career or jobs. One third (33 per cent) claimed that developing new skills was the biggest achievement, whilst 10 per cent said they had gained a promotion.

Kate Passmore, executive consultant, FSS Finance, says: ìIt is clear from the survey that many people are not happy with their career progression, as only 17 per cent said they had either exceeded or met their career expectations at their current age. The desire by workers to change the direction of their careers in 2007 looks set to grow from levels seen in 2006.î

In its 2007 Salary Survey, FSS found that finance candidates are starting to move away from higher-paying careers in the City and Canary Wharf-based financial institutions in favour of FTSE and AIM-listed companies based in the West, Central and West End of London. Organisations in these locations offer a diversity of roles and career progression that cannot be found in the City.