A lack of clear prospects about where their job will lead them means that more than half of employees aged under 30 are considering abandoning their current career within two years of starting it.
The revelation that 51pc of young workers have itchy feet so soon after starting their jobs comes from a study by discount supermarket Aldi, which looked into reasons behind career changes.
It interviewed more than 2,000 people aged 18 to 30 who have or are considering swapping careers.
Both graduates and those who did not go to university were quizzed but of those who had studied for a degree and were thinking about a changing path, four out of 10 were currently in roles directly related to their university subject.
The same proportion of these graduates were ready to take a job in a completely different sector, hinting that many young people fail to pick a degree subject they are confident they have a long-term future in.
Of the graduates who said they were mulling over taking on a new role, a quarter had joined a graduate training scheme. but more than third (36pc) said were prepared to re-train and just over a quarter (28pc) would even consider returning to university. This is despite the prospect of tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year and living costs while they studied.
The level of dissatisfaction with progression opportunities was such that a quarter of graduates said they would be willing to start in a more junior position in a new role to get their career back on track.
The improving economic climate also seems to helping drive the desire to change, with 42pc of all respondents saying they are now more likely to consider a new job than they were three years ago.
Aldi is this year expanding its graduate recruitment programme by 15pc to take on 150 trainees this year and James Hutcheson, the company’s head of graduate recruitment, said: “One third of our area managers have changed their career direction to enter the retail sector, and we are continually looking for these candidates to apply for our graduate recruitment scheme.
"People who have built up experience in the workplace, in any sector, bring with them valuable skills. Anyone considering a change in career needs to devote time to consider the options open to them."
He added: “This survey has uncovered that there is a significant level of dissatisfaction across graduates when it comes to their initial choice of career path. A desire for clearer career prospects and more opportunities to develop with training, alongside greater satisfaction appear to be the overriding reasons that graduates are considering a move.”
Despite the company’s discount reputation, it is known to offer high salaries. Store managers start at almost £8,000 more than the UK national average salary, earning nearly £35,000 when they start, rising to more than £52,000 after training. Graduate area managers start at £40,000 with generous perks, rising to £65,500 after four years.
