Careers Canadians Don’t Want To Leave

As many as 38% of Canadians currently holding jobs in Vancouver and other provinces have switched careers at least once. Moreover, more than one-third of those that have yet to do so are actively considering it or already conducting a job search to do so. Though this is an impressive reflection of the current degree of career dissatisfaction in the Canadian workforce, it also means that about 40% of currently-employed adults have not — and don’t want to — deviate from their current career path.

What Keeps Canadians Coming Back To Work?

Broadly speaking, when deciding whether to start a job search for a new career, a sense of “fit” with both employer and industry is the most significant consideration for most Canadians. In this context, career fit is a collective measurement of:

1. Employee Satisfaction with current and potential wages, opportunities for career advancement, etc; and
2. Perceived Compatibility with coworkers, company culture, and industry values.

Complications For Career Change In This Job Market

With that in mind, it does not make much sense that only about 13% of currently employed adults in Canada report feeling very happy with their employer and industry. That statistic should leave about 80% of the workforce feeling insecure, to some degree, about whether they are on the right career path.

That said, research also indicates that:

1. Significant Investment In Specialized Education can act as both a buffer to and a mediating factor for career dissatisfaction that leads to career change. And
2. Visible Opportunities To Increase Satisfaction Through Promotion may keep junior employees motivated to continue career tracks that are not presently highly satisfying.

Together, these additional factors provide some clarity:

In industries and specializations where it takes a lot of up-front investment to get started (like healthcare, technology, and operations management) but the potential wages are high, people are more willing to tolerate workplace dissatisfaction in the hope that their investment will pay off.

Likewise, in careers where middle- and upper-level management are highly satisfied with their work and high wages (as in the mining, oil, and construction sectors), people tend to tough out workplace dissatisfaction in the hope that future benefits will be worth it.

This may explain why about 40% of the currently employed workforce are sticking to their current plan even though they are not overly happy with what they are currently doing.

Career Paths Canadians Stick With The Most

The above-listed factors go a long way toward explaining why some jobs in Vancouver have noticeably lower turnover rates, greater career commitment, and less job search activity than is normal for the current job market.

The Most Satisfying Careers In Canada (by % of highly satisfied/committed employees):

1. Procurement Specialists (73%)
2. Dental Hygienists (70%)
3. Construction Workers (68%)
4. Software Engineers (67%)
5. Dump Truck Drivers (66%)
6. Human Resources Specialists; Upper-level Management In The Energy Industry (62%)
7. Web Developers (61%)
8. Mechanical Designer; Executive Chef (59%)
9. Junior-level Energy Industry Staff; Network Administrator (57%)
10. Sales And Marketing Specialists (56.1%)
11. LPN; Programmer Analyst; Truck Driver; RN (56%)
12. Database Administrator (54%)
13. Application Developer; Administrative Assistant; Administrative Clerk(53%)
14. It Specialists (51.3%)
15. Accounting And Finance Specialists (50.3%)

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About the Author

Simon Chou is the Vice President of Operations and Growth at BCjobs.ca. Over the course of his career, he carved a niche in brand development, marketing strategy, and online presence for startups. Prior to joining BCJobs.ca, Simon was an advisor for several global blockchain projects including Litecoin, NEM, and Ripple. In the past, he also worked with Fortune 500 companies in the healthcare space through SM Digital—a global marketing agency.