Changing jobs can be a good idea, but it can also be a bad one. © Sebastian Gollnow / dpa
Changing jobs to get off to a better start in your career? For some, this means a big wage increase, for others only disadvantages. This is shown by a new Bertelsmann study.
Gütersloh – According to an analysis, a change of job can mean relegation, especially for employees with low qualifications and in helping activities. This is the conclusion of a study published on Tuesday by the Bertelsmann Foundation on career changes and the consequences for those affected.
A new start in a career pays off above all when employees switch to related activities. "The wage increase can then be up to 3500 euros gross per year higher than when switching to unrelated professions," it said. "The more knowledge from the old profession can also be used in the new job, the greater the chance of a successful job change." This primarily benefited skilled workers and specialists.
Helpers particularly disadvantaged: "Without a chance of advancement and the prospect of better pay"
The analysis sees helpers in particular at a disadvantage. These employees in particular change jobs twice as often as skilled workers and often end up in foreign professions – "mostly without opportunities for advancement and the prospect of better pay". Regarding the definition of "helper", study author Roman Wink explained that it describes the level at which a person is employed. This activity does not require any vocational training. In many cases, these are low-skilled, i.e. people without a vocational qualification. But people with a vocational qualification could also be employed as helpers.
Employees who work as helpers have to align themselves more closely with the demand of the labor market than with their existing skills in "job hopping" - and therefore have to be retrained again and again. Women are often worse off when it comes to career changes.
Shortage of skilled workers: labour force participation is a decisive factor
Higher labor force participation is a decisive factor in the fight against the shortage of skilled workers, emphasized the foundation's labor market expert, Tobias Ortmann. If the change succeeds, it will also be a benefit for employers.
The study highlighted that in most cases, low-skilled workers and helpers have usable skills, even if these are not formally verifiable by certificates. Therefore, procedures are needed to make the capabilities visible, Wink demanded. (dpa, lf)
