Dive Brief:

• Seventy-five percent of millennials said they think changing jobs multiple times helped boost their careers, according to a new study of 1,000 mid- to executive-level millennials from Akumina, an employee experience platform. The report found that 40% of respondents said they had four or more jobs since graduating high school or college. Only 10% of respondents said they believed they were underemployed.
• Slightly more than half of respondents said they understood the importance of growth and 64% said they believe that working in a role for 12 to 24 months to advance in their organization is reasonable. Almost all of the respondents said it was important or very important that senior-level staff and colleagues recognize their achievements.
• "Millennials are both the largest demographic in the workforce and the most misunderstood," David Maffei, Akumina's president, said in a news release. "Our data shows many of the negative stereotypes associated with this group either lack context or are outright wrong. Businesses need to avoid operating under outdated notions and instead align their workplaces to the psychological and technological needs of millennials who are taking on senior roles and driving business success."

​Dive Insight:

It appears that Akumina's research at once confirms millennials' job-hopping habits and challenges the perception that they change professions frivolously. A 2018 O.C. Tanner report found that a quarter of millennials have worked for five different employers and revealed they do so because they feel underutilized, stagnant, stressed and bored at work.

Millennials will move on when they're dissatisfied with their current job or when they find a new opportunity for growth, according to a report from Speakap. And though HR professionals surveyed in this report declared millennials the hardest generation to engage, other research appears to assure employers they aren't doomed when it comes to working with millennials. O.C. Tanner recommended that employers try keeping millennials onboard longer by taking an interest in the group's overall wellbeing, recognizing their contributions, opening communication channels with leadership and providing opportunities for employees to contribute to the organization's mission and goals.