A third of Canadians are looking for new jobs -- should you do the same?

There’s a fine line between leaving a job too soon, and staying in a position longer than is beneficial to you. (Giphy)

More than a third of Canadians are looking for a new job this year.

According to a new survey from Accountemps, 36 per cent of Canadian professionals want to identify new career opportunities in the next 12 months.

If you follow the advice of career experts, it shouldn’t come as any great shock. Even “Doctor Who” actor Peter Capaldi said the reason he was quitting one of the best-known roles in the world was because he’d never worked the same job for three years, and it was time to move on after four as The Doctor.

Even if you aren’t a famous actor with an itch to pursue other roles, there are plenty of other reasons why you may not want to hold a job for too long.

The average length of time for someone to spend in a job is only about 4.4 years, according to staffing firm Randstad Canada, and the younger the worker, the more likely the need to take on new jobs with greater frequency. Millennials, for example, expect to hold 12 to 15 jobs throughout their lifetime.

While loyalty to one company used to be the norm, with pensions fewer and further between, there’s less incentive to stick with one company long-term.

There are other tangible downsides to remaining at one place longer than you should:

– Less money: When you’re in one job, you’re likely only able to negotiate a set raise increase each year. However if you’re looking for a substantial increase in your wages, you may be better off looking elsewhere, so you can negotiate a stronger starting salary (and benefits) based on the expertise you bring with you.
– Less skill development: It’s easy to get comfortable doing one job, and if you’re only doing the same tasks from day to day, chances are you aren’t adding to your skillset, and possibly not keeping up with new skills that will be in demand, which can lead to…
– Falling behind in the field: If you’re in a quickly-changing field (which, realistically, is almost every field these days, but particularly tech-focused ones like IT), staying in a job for a long time may suggest to a future employer that you’re not keeping up with the current technology. Switching to a new job shows you’re agile, and able to keep up with changes in technology.

If you’re concerned about having too many jobs on your resume, don’t be: experts say 18 months is sufficient time to spend at one job before moving on to the next. And with contract, temporary and gig work becoming more common for many professionals, even shorter terms can be seen as reasonable in many situations.

2018 may be a year of career changes for a lot of Canadians, and it might be time you opt for a switch, too.

Yahoo Canada Finance readers, are you looking for a new job in 2018? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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