Young workers are especially likely to quit a job as a way of getting ahead early on in their careers. Most (83%) consider themselves to be job-hoppers, according to a report from ResumeLab—and they’re onto something.

New research reveals that sticking to one boss and one company doesn’t always lead to success these days, as workers have found out the hard way that the contract between employer and employee has been severed in the 21st century. 

A staggering 75% of workers leave their employer before ever getting promoted, finds ADP when analyzing 2023 payroll data and recent job history of more than 51 million workers. And those who don’t quit are holding out for slim pickings. Less than 1% of those who stay are promoted by their third year.

Job hopping is the only way up the ladder today, expert says

In past decades, workers often stayed at one job for a long period of time, incentivized by a steady climbing of the corporate ladder and an eventual pension on the eve of their retirement. Now, as said benefits wanes and pay raises and promotions remain scarce, employees are forced to leave to move on up. 

“There have always been two paths to progress in a career — you either get promoted or start looking for a new job. However, our new survey suggests that for workers in today’s United States, only one of those paths seems to remain open,” Martin Poduška, editor-in-chief at Kickresume, wrote to HR Dive. The company’s separate analysis of over 1,250 LinkedIn profiles found that 58% of Americans have changed jobs in the last five years, rather than await a promotion. 

Some hiring managers reportedly believe that job hopping is a red flag, as 37% report to LinkedIn that frequent changing of jobs is a potential deal-breaker. But, in reality, it appears to be a natural response to a workforce where promotion at one company is not a given. More than half (54%) of hiring managers want candidates committed to learning and upskilling. 

Employees don’t just report feeling underpaid, they also don’t feel trained enough at their company. Only 3.8% of workers learn new skills on the job within two years of getting hired, per ADP. And just 17% feel strongly that their company is invested in the skills needed for career advancement, ADP finds in a separate survey of almost 38,000 employees across 34 markets. 

That being said, people who feel like they are valued and are growing are more likely to stay at a job. Opportunities for career advancement is one of the top reasons for staying at a job, second next to flexibility in scheduling. These employees who feel strongly that they’re getting the necessary training are six times likely to recommend their company, 3.3 more likely to describe themselves as highly-predictive, and twice as likely to say they have no intent to leave their company.