The days that US workers are willing to pick up, pluck their kids out of school and leave behind friends and family to relocate for their next job opportunity are fading fast.
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, last year about 3.5 million professionals relocated for a new job. That number, however, was down 10% from the prior year and the statistics indicate a continued downward trend.
Why? Well, family is finally taking center stage and more executives are willing to forego that shiny new job opportunity for bliss in the household.
The other reason is more capitalistic. Jobs are abundant in the wake of a bull economy, so it is not necessary to relocate in order to progress one’s career.
By the way, employees in prior generations had a deep loyalty to their organization, so if you were asked to move, you asked, “Where?” and “How Soon?”
That’s not so much the case today.