--- title: Why More Older Workers Want a New Job description: More Americans want to job hop, and it's not just Millennials. Some 40% of older workers are seeking a new gig. Here's why. authors: - name: Dan Kadlec url: https://money.com/author/dan-kadlec/ at_money_since: 2014 articles: 146 covers: - Career Advice - Banking - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Personal Finance - Retirement - Taxes former_staff: true published: '2016-01-20T11:30:14.000Z' modified: '2024-04-16T09:45:20.000Z' section: Career Advice tags: - Careers - Jobs - working in retirement word_count: 392 canonical: https://money.com/older-workers-want-new-job/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Job seekers attend a Job Fair Giant career fair in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on September 30, 2015.](https://img.money.com/2016/01/160120_car_olderjobseekers.jpg?crop=0px%2C37px%2C2100px%2C1181px&quality=85) *Job seekers attend a Job Fair Giant career fair in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on September 30, 2015.* America is clearly a nation of job hoppers—and it's not just Millennials. Four in 10 experienced workers want a new job in 2016, most of them citing a desire for better pay, according to a survey from AARP. That may seem surprising, since it's younger workers who are expected to switch jobs frequently. Among Millennials, the median job tenure is just [two years](http://www.payscale.com/gen-y-at-work), according to PayScale. A third of companies lose 15% of their millennial workforce every year, Millennial Branding and Beyond.com [found](http://millennialbranding.com/2013/cost-millennial-retention-study/). But such job wanderlust is also evident among boomers and Gen X, though for slightly [different](https://money.com/millennials-boomers-buying-experiences/) reasons. Often, older workers enjoy what they do and want to remain at work to stay engaged and active. But a large number also stay at work for financial reasons. The latter group is most evident in the AARP survey, where 74% of experienced workers cited better pay as their top motivation for wanting to switch jobs. After a slow jobs recovery, older Americans may finally be enjoying better [employment prospects](https://money.com/jobs-older-workers-improved/). Yet more pay is not the only thing on older job hoppers’ minds. They also cite more enjoyable work (30%), better health benefits (28%), more flexible hours (25%), and career growth (21%). Interestingly, Millennials often express [similar views](https://time.com/2854034/millennials-retirement/) as it relates to enjoyable, flexible employment, but they seem less motivated purely by a pay hike. The biggest obstacle to a job switch: 42% of experienced workers cite age discrimination, followed by inability to get a pay raise (37%), and a poor local job market (24%). As a result, 24% expect to switch industries and 42% have no idea where they may end up. **Read Next: These Are the Best Jobs in America in 2016** Still, by planning ahead and doing some research, you can [greatly improve](https://money.com/retirement-job-part-time-5-strategies/) your job switching opportunities. As [a recent study](https://money.com/second-act-careers/) found, some 82% of people 47 and older who tried to transition to new careers in the last two years were successful. You can improve your odds of landing a new job that you like by networking relentlessly and demonstrating modern skills through a presence on LinkedIn, Twitter or other social media, among [other strategies](http://www.aarp.org/work/job-hunting/info-05-2008/job_tips_for_50plus_workers.html).You can also check out Money's [career moves](https://money.com/topic/career-guide-2016/) with advice for job seekers of all ages, including [your 50s](https://money.com/career-moves-your-50s/) and [your 60s](https://money.com/career-moves-your-60s/). And don't get discouraged. 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