More than seven in ten young Americans are currently looking for changes in their jobs. According to new research.
A survey of 2,000 employed Americans revealed that 73% of Gen Z respondents, along with 70% of millennials surveyed, would like to switch jobs or careers.
This compares with 51% of GEN X respondents and only 33% of baby boomers.
Burnout has been identified as a key reason for job changes
Commissioned and implemented by Isoveved by Talker Research prior to National Mental Health Awareness Month, this data highlighted burnout as one reason could be that they wanted a new job.
52% of respondents now feel burned out in the workplace. Young respondents are again higher.
Two-thirds of Gen Z (68%) experience burnout, like 61% of millennial respondents.
For Gen X, this fell to 47%, with only 3 in 10 reporting that they felt burned out.
The survey delved into why respondents were experiencing burnout. List toppings are the repetitive nature of work, with 33% saying, “I feel like I’m doing the same thing every day.”
Almost a quarter of them have increased expectations for them, but not wages (23%), but the same number doesn’t feel that their work is highly valued (23%).
At the end of 2024, Isolved carried out them Annual “Workforce Speech” Research In a similar topic, we investigate 1,127 full-time American workers to understand unhealthy workplace outcomes regarding burnout, productivity and corporate loyalty.
They found that three in ten employees work in toxic workplaces. Over half (52%) of those surveyed by Isolved confessed that they were working when they got sick, with almost a third (31%) saying they didn’t take lunch break.
These “toxic” workplace characteristics can contribute to Americans’ burnout, but they also have an impact on the culture of the entire company.
Respondents said the biggest threat to a positive work culture was the stress of colleagues (47%) and the lack of a flexible work environment (40%). They also highlighted negativity (32%) and company-wide burnout (31%).
Isolved’s findings are consistent with those from Talker Research, and Isolved’s study found that nearly eight in 10 (79%) suffered from burnout last year.
So over a third (36%) said they did not do anything extra to go beyond their role, but were persistent in performing only the tasks they needed.
The pressure to discover the biggest stressors of workers, their pure workloads (46%), achieve their goals (34%), and even outside working hours (32%) is the most unsettling.
In addition to these stressors, seven in 10 (67%) said they have reduced their staff size in the last 12 months, with most (58%) worried about being fired next year.
Applying financial burdens to an already complicated web of stress, almost three-quarters (74%) reported live pay.
“It’s important for organizations to invest in technology because so many employees are under pressure – empowering them, not replacing them.” “Employers need to identify and address specific stressors that affect people who need continuous two-way communication.”
“Burnout looks different between roles and teams, so there are no solutions for every size. Listening to employees is the first step in designing a work environment that supports both performance and happiness.”
Employee loyalty depends on the employer’s commitment
When we dig into how employer-employee relationships and loyalty progress, almost half of workers (46%) said employers’ commitment to promoting and strengthening careers is average. Almost a tenth (8%) said employers had poor commitment.
Half of Americans (51%) have only strong loyalty to their employers, while a third (36%) rate their experience in their current role as fewer than they shine.
To improve the experience, workers want a better compensation package (58%) above all, and a flexible work arrangement (48%) and a company’s policy (43%) that prohibits message outside of business hours to help resolve burnout issues.
“The level of employees with burnout is deeply concerned,” Mosher said. “But even small changes can go a long way in improving how people feel at work.
“Although remuneration can take time, businesses can act by providing more flexible work arrangements and setting clear boundaries around communications outside of business hours. These practical steps can significantly improve both employee well-being and organizational health.”
Research method:
The Talker survey looked at 2,000 Americans employed. The investigation was commissioned by Separation Managed and implemented online by Talker Research March 17th-21st, 2025. (In another location, this story is also based on data from Survey Isoveved, commissioned in 2024.
