What do you shoot for when you want a new challenge — a promotion, or a job at a new company? There are plenty of pros and cons to both options. A promotion looks brilliant on your resume; however, a new opportunity altogether can open up doors to career growth and new connections. 

But which is more popular? Changing jobs, or receiving a promotion? In our research, Kickresume randomly selected 1,250 active US LinkedIn profiles to find that an overwhelming majority of employees chose to switch employers in the past 5 years, compared to a fraction that were promoted in this timeframe. These results indicate that Americans may be better off investing time searching for a new opportunity elsewhere.

Here’s a quick snapshot of our findings:

  • 17% of people were promoted by their current employer in the last 5 years. They were promoted an average of once every 2 years and 4 months. 
  • 58% of people have switched employers in the last 5 years. This group switched employers an average of 2.7 times in the last 5 years. This means the average person moves to a new company once every 3 years and 7 months.
  • The average person has been with their current employer for 4.53 years, and changes jobs either through promotion or leaving once every 2 years and 10 months.
  • 65% of people have changed jobs in the last 5 years, whether moving internally or switching employers.

Employees across all US regions are more likely to change jobs than receive a promotion

Our research revealed which regions of the US have higher rates of promotions or job switches. 

27% of Americans based in the Midwest received a promotion in the past 5 years, the highest percentage out of the regions we looked at. Close behind, 26% of people based in both the South and the West scored a new role at their current company in that time. And in last place, 24% of Americans in the Northeast were promoted in the past 5 years. 

Let’s compare this to the results of those who changed employers within the past 5 years:

The region where people were most likely to change employers was the West, where 61% of people had switched jobs in the past 5 years. Not far behind, 59% of people in the Northeast had changed to a new employer, as had 58% of people in the South. Lastly, the Midwest was the region where people were least likely to move to a new company, as 53% of people had done so in the past 5 years. 

Now let's explore the combined results of those who changed employers, or were promoted. The region where people were most likely to change their role, whether through getting a promotion or getting a new job, was the West where 87% of people had changed their job title in the past 5 years. Just behind were the South at 84% and the Northeast at 83%. And the region where people were least likely to have changed their job title was the Midwest, where the figure of people who have done this in the past 5 years stands at 79%. 

The number of jobs available, and the types of jobs, in each region might affect the opportunities that Americans are going for and getting. Whether you switch roles due to a promotion or change in company, the results indicate that the majority of American workers will advance their careers within 5 years.

It’s also worth mentioning that the data we collected began in 2019, just before the start of Covid-19. The pandemic, as we know, impacted the job market across all regions significantly. Workers across the nation were laid off from their jobs, resulting in many having to look elsewhere. This might be one of the reasons why the figures are so high for those who switched employers.

We found that 20% of workers from the Midwest did not change jobs or get promoted in the past 5 years, the highest number from all regions. This might be due to the region reportedly having the highest job deficits, according to the Economic Policy Institute. With less jobs available, it makes sense that employees chose to stay where they are.

Budget constraints or capped promotions? Companies are hesitant to promote workers

Aiming for a promotion has many benefits for both the employee and employer. When you receive a promotion, you get the career advancement, title upgrade, and usually a pay rise, without having the hassle of moving jobs completely. You get to stay in your familiar work environment, with the same coworkers, in a company you’ve grown to know well.

For these reasons, a promotion is the goal for many employees across the US. Earning a promotion allows you to improve your skill set and expand your knowledge, offering clear career progression.

In our study, we found that out of the 1000+ LinkedIn profiles we used, only a small percentage (17%) of workers have been promoted since 2019. There could be many factors contributing to this, such as some companies having budget constraints, or a capped amount of promotions available.

Sometimes being denied a promotion is simply out of your and your manager's hands. In some cases, companies might be reluctant to give a team member a promotion because it would mean no longer having them in the current role. This might be a reason why an employee would be on the hunt for a new job, where they can move straight into the level of responsibility they want.

Tips on how to earn a promotion

There are quite a few factors that go into earning a promotion. Of course performing well in your role is crucial, but demonstrating an active interest in growing and developing your skills is necessary too. We’ve put together a few tips that might help you when it comes to earning that promotion.

One of the first things you should do is talk to your HR department about the formal processes that go into earning a promotion. This is particularly relevant to those working in larger companies, as there may be specific protocols to follow to be considered. There could be certain requirements or quotas to be met in order to be in the running for a promotion, so it’s significant to ask about this when thinking about working towards one.

Another thing to remember is to ask for clear feedback from your team at the end of every month or quarter. Asking your boss for a regular, concrete review makes your commitment to improvement more visible. As a bonus, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of what’s expected of you in the long term.

It’s also key to document your successes at work. Take note of every bit of good feedback you receive, successful projects you played a role in, and how you’ve met your KPIs and individual goals. By clearly keeping track of your good work, you can use this when presenting your case to your managers. This makes it easier for your employer to recognize your hard work, and harder for them to shut you down.

Switching jobs is a rising trend amid stagnant promotions 

 

If you’ve tried tirelessly to earn a promotion and been denied, it may be a sign to move on completely. Not receiving a promotion after months of working hard towards one can be pretty devastating, and you may even lose morale in your current role. Perhaps there is simply no room for promotion in your department, or your company is under budget constraints. Whatever the reason may be, you may be better off securing career progression in another company.

In our research, we found that 65% of people had changed jobs whether that be through an internal move, or a new company altogether. Of those who moved jobs, the large majority of them opted to change employers entirely. 

The results indicate that it may be easier to find a better opportunity elsewhere, if a promotion is not on the cards for you. Changing jobs can be a fantastic way to advance your career, and shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a last resort. The US’s economy is in a good place currently, especially as the macroeconomy continues to thrive.

According to the US Department of the Treasury, the US’s economy exceeded expectations in 2023 across 3 different areas: inflation, economic output, and labor market resilience. With the US economy performing well, changing jobs might not be as risky as some would think it to be.

This might also be one of the reasons why choosing to change jobs was a very common decision from Americans across all regions. If you’ve decided that changing jobs is the right decision for you, below are some top tips to help you with your job search.

Tips on how to land a new job

  1. Make sure you have a fantastic resume

One of the major things to do when you begin looking for a new role is to update and improve your resume. You should make sure to include all the relevant skills and experience that you’ve picked up in your current role, and it should be formatted in a way that's easy for employers to read. A good resume can make all the difference in your job search.

  1.  Narrow down your applications

Applying to many different jobs across your industry that may not be all that relevant might not be the best way to land a new job. Quality applications take a fairly long time to complete, and this also depends on the processes for each business. With that being said, applying to too many jobs could waste your time, prolonging the search. It’s best to be selective and focus on creating a few quality applications.

  1. Upskill

Another way to elevate your job search is to improve your current skill set through upskilling. This is especially crucial if you feel like there are gaps in your knowledge, or you’re looking to move into a different kind of role than the one you have now. One way you can do this is by taking online courses to showcase on your resume and/or LinkedIn profile.

American full-time workers change jobs at a rapid rates

What we found interesting about these results is that those on full-time contracts stay in their role for 3.69 years on average. Compared to other countries, this is a rather short amount of time to spend in a full-time job. Also, it is much longer compared to part-time workers who averaged only 1.75 years. The overall average for time spent in current jobs for all job types is 3.32 years.

To put it into perspective, in Europe, it’s very not uncommon for employees to switch jobs only once or a few times over the course of their working lives. On the other hand, USA's work culture is way more dynamic. The average worker in the US switches roles frequently, something that was and still is hard to imagine in some European countries until recent years.

There are several factors that shape the difference in dynamics between the U.S. and Europe’s job markets. One key factor is at-will employment, which allows employees in the U.S. to switch jobs more quickly. In Europe, many full-time workers are tied to contracts with months-long notice periods, both for resignations and dismissals.

The perception of loyalty also varies. In the U.S., culturally ingrained individualism often drives workers to prioritize career advancement, with frequent job changes being part of the process. In contrast, some parts of Europe emphasize loyalty and structured promotion processes, fostering longer employee tenure.

Lastly, the U.S. culture of prioritizing career over work-life balance often leads to bolder job moves. Americans tend to push their careers further than Europeans. For more insights, check out Kickresume’s October 2024 survey comparing work cultures in the U.S. and Europe.

Key takeaways: The decision to choose a promotion or a new job

Overall, if you’re looking for career progression and a chance to improve your skills, the best way to do this might be to take the next step elsewhere. Our research suggests that promotions are less likely to happen, and more employees changed jobs in the last 5 years than those who remained. This leads us to believe that a new opportunity elsewhere might be the best decision when looking to take the next step in your career.

However, don’t be discouraged from working towards a promotion if that's on the cards for you. As mentioned earlier, 150 people had 232 promotions in the last 5 years, meaning that multiple people were offered multiple promotions at their current employer.

If you’re thinking about making the next big step, you could start by speaking to your managers and someone from HR. You then may be able to gauge whether or not a promotion is in your near future, which can help you make a decision on what your next steps are.

Demographics

Age: The survey did not collect data about the respondents age group.

Gender: The survey did not collect data about the gender of the respondents.

Location: We selected data from the following US regions: Midwest, Northeast, South, and West. We used data from profiles across various towns and cities located over the country in various states. Some of the cities that were chosen are:

  • Tooele, Utah,
  • Cohoes, New York
  • Woodland, California
  • New London, Connecticut
  • Adrian, Michigan
  • Minot, North Dakota
  • Cape May, New Jersey
  • Battle Creek, Michigan

Note

We randomly selected 1,250 US LinkedIn profiles to collect data from.

We selected various towns and cities across different US regions, and randomly picked names from the top 50 profiles that showed up. We decided to choose from the top 50 profiles to ensure we only selected accounts that are active.

The towns and cities selected are located across the country in various states, in order to give a broad overview of workers’ employment history across different states in the United States.

We then used the employment history information from these profiles to find the data and calculate the statistics.

About Kickresume

Kickresume is a leading AI-based career super app that helps candidates source jobs and raise salary with resume and cover letter tools, skills analytics, and automated job search assistance. A trusted platform for job seekers that already helped more than 6 million people get hired, some of them at top companies like Google, Apple, or Microsoft.