LinkedIn, a global social networking for professionals, recently issued a report on "Job-Hopping" among Chinese Workers, which points out that Chinese workers change job more frequently than their American counterparts. The average length of service for a Chinese worker in a job is 34 months, which is almost two years shorter than America's 56 months.

The report shows that the job-hopping rate differs greatly among workers in different industries. In China, commercial services such as law firms, accounting firms and consulting firms, finance and insurance companies, and internet companies have the highest job-hopping rate.

The report points out that along with the rapid adjustment of China's industrial structure, the need for talent keeps rising. More importantly, in a fast-paced economic environment, few companies have enough time and resource to build up an effective internal talent system, so most talent is recruited from outside. Chinese enterprises adopt the tactic of higher salaries and promotions to attract outsiders, and as a result Chinese workers are often restless and change job frequently.

During the job-hunting process, information asymmetry between the individual and the prospective employer is a common phenomenon. The job-seeker often makes a decision based on inadequate information, which results in more job-hopping further down the line.

What do Chinese people value most in a job? Or in other words, what are the major reasons why they change jobs?

The report shows that intensity of workload is one of the least important indicators, which explains why the internet industry attracts so many people every year. Neither are factors like the internationalization and brand awareness of the enterprise, location, working hours, and position important considerations. The most valued indicators are first of all room for career development, then factors like job content, ability to acquire skills, working environment, and salary and conditions.

Therefore, the report suggests that Chinese enterprises have to build up, review and optimize their internal talent development system, which should be based around a clear strategic plan. 

The article is edited and translated from《报告显示过半中国职场人士不到一年半就要找下家》, source: Beijing Youth Daily, author: Wu Linlin.