1. 33ISSUE 15.8 HRMASIA.COM
RECRUITMENT
Victor Mills, CEO of the Singapore International Chamber
of Commerce (SICC), has seen one extreme example of
job-hopping in the organisation tself.
During an interview with The Straits Times earlier this
year, Mills, a Northern Ireland-born Singapore citizen,
recalls the SICC employing an assistant finance manager
“who had a lovely personality with all the right experience
and skills”.
“We thought we hit gold. But she turned up for work for just
one day and then disappeared,” he told the paper.
“When we tracked her down a few days later – she was not
Job-hopping has become one of HR’s biggest
nightmares, with organisations desperately trying to
keep their talent away from competitors. But do job-
hoppers themselves benefit when they are constantly
on the move? HRM investigates
Sham Majid
sham@hrmasia.com.sg
JOB HOPPER?
Would you hire a

2. 35ISSUE 15.8 HRMASIA.COM
RECRUITMENT
34 ISSUE 15.8 HRMASIA.COM
RECRUITMENT
answering her phone – she said: ‘It
just wasn’t for me’.”
Mills said his response to that
statement was: “How could you
possibly know after just one day?
You are not giving yourself or the
organisation a chance”.
According to him, “job-hopping
is stressful, and it doesn’t produce a
lot of happiness.”
“Yes, it (the new job) may give $50
to $100 more in the pay packet but
it doesn’t produce satisfaction,” he
was quoted as saying.
Mills said excessive job-hopping
“has become a challenge for many
businesses”.
In fact, in another interview, he
noted that “30-and 40-year-olds
too”, and not just their younger
counterparts, have forged a
reputation for being fussy about
jobs.
Linda Teo, Country Manager,
ManpowerGroup Singapore, can
also resonate with the issue of job
hopping.
“There was a case of a service
consultant, whose résumé surfaced
yearly after he left a company
for what he said were ‘personal
reasons’,” she says.
“But his annual changing of jobs
signals he is not sure of what he
wants.”
Are you a job hopper?
While job-hopping has become a
key HR buzzword, just how many
workers can be defined as such – and
are HR professionals among them?
For Jolene Huang, Assistant
Director of HR Management,
Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the
term means staying in a job for a
relatively short period of time before
moving on to a new position.
“This will be a challenge to
quantify as there may be differing
circumstances as to why people
leave their jobs. It is definitely very
subjective,” says Huang.
Her counterpart, Jayesh Menon,
Regional HR Leader and Director,
Asia-Pacific, Itron, also concurs,
saying it is very difficult to state
“The long-term benefits of job
rotations and other opportunities
for training and learning may
outweigh immediate small salary
adjustments”
Linda Teo, Country Manager, ManpowerGroup Singapore
how many “hops” it takes to become
a serial job hopper.
“However, I believe that people
should stay for at least two to
three years in an organisation,” he
reveals.
Teo meanwhile, cites that to
qualify as a job-hopper, “employees
would be those in permanent
positions who switch jobs within
one to two years.”
Why job-hop?
According to the 2015 Talent Trends
Briefing based on results of MRIC
Group’s fifth annual Talent Survey,
14% of Singapore professionals
declared they changed jobs in
the past 12 months, down five
percentage points compared to the
previous year (see: boxout).
Huang says employees depart from
their jobs for various reasons.
“It may be dependent upon
which stages of life they are at and
whether the prospective employers
are able to match their needs and
wants. People may move because
of the chance to fulfiil a personal
aspiration,” she explains.
“It may also be that another
employer is able to offer them a
more competitive pay package or
that their next move will be a career
progression. And sometimes, it can
also be as simple as a desire to try
out new experiences.”
Menon says job-hopping can
also occur after wrong career
moves, short term gains, or a lack
of adaptability as organisations
change.
“But normally, the two main
factors would be cultural fit and
mismatch of competency and
expectations,” he reveals.
Teo believes job-hopping applies
more to those in their early to mid-
20s.
“They have just entered the job
market and feel that the world is
their oyster,” she says.
“They are eager to explore the
world of work, and are confident in
the skills which they have learnt
in the polytechnics or universities,
which also give career counselling or
personal presentation skills before
students graduate.
“Many of today’s young are also
more travelled and are exposed to
many opportunities.”
Exploring the HR element
Huang says it’s an on-going effort
for the STB to refine and improve its
talent attraction and retention tools.
“If we hire the right kinds
of people and manage their
expectations well, we can reduce the
probability of employees looking to
move prematurely,” she says.
“Talent retention strategies
must also be catered toward
different profiles of staff; this will
ensure a more satisfying working
environment for them, therefore
reducing the probability of them
moving on.”
Huang argues HR practices such
as employee engagement and
HRM_GWSAad14.05_186mm(W)x119.5mm(H)_FA.indd 1 9/4/14 10:12 am
well researched compensation
and benefits play crucial roles in
preventing job-hopping.
“They are all part of the HR eco-
system that helps organisations
better manage their people,” she
states.
“But they can’t exist in silos
and need to work together with
other HR tools and systems to help
employees fulfil both the hygiene
and motivational factors.”
According to Teo, candidates
should be careful of switching jobs
for an increase in pay only. They
should look deeper at the bigger
picture of both the career path and
the job scope potential, she says.
“The long-term benefits of job
rotations and other opportunities
for training and learning may
outweigh immediate small salary
adjustments,” she says.
“Individuals have to be very
clear of their own career goals, and
understand where and what they
ultimately want to do or be.”
While Teo accepts that job
hopping is a trend, she says in a
tight labour market, it is a trend
that is more pronounced.
“Overall, employees may feel that
employers are not doing enough
to retain their loyalty within the
organisation, and that employers
feel their staff have not performed
to their expectations in order to
retain their service,” she explains.
“Also, Singapore has an intelligent
workforce, with professionals,
Singaporean job-
hopping intentions
According to the 2015 Talent Trends Briefing
based on results of MRIC Group’s fifth annual
Talent Survey (commissioned by Ipsos), when
asked “Are you seeking to make a job change in
the next 12 months?” Singaporean mid-level to
senior managers’ responses were:
“The job hopping trend in Singapore
contrasts with Hong Kong and China, where
more professionals intend to stay with
their employer this year, compared to 2014.
Interestingly, intentions to relocate are stable,
which implies a challenging local job market
in the coming months” said JB Aloy, Senior
Vice President with Ipsos.
54%
33%
13%
Yes,
definitely
Maybe No

3. 36 ISSUE 15.8 HRMASIA.COM
RECRUITMENT
For younger US employees, job-hopping
may not be such a bad thing after all.
According to an Accountemps survey
titled Is Job Hopping Losing Its Stigma?,
57% of employees between the ages of
18 and 34 found that switching jobs every
few years can actually help their career, as
opposed to 38% of professionals between
the ages of 35 and 54 and 22% of those
aged 55 or older.
There were also disparities by gender,
with 47% of men and 37% of women citing
that job hopping was beneficial.
Workers were asked, “Do you think job
hopping (leaving your current employer
for a new job every few years) can benefit
your career?”
Their responses were:
Yes No
Total, all U.S. workers 42% 58%
18-34 years 57% 43%
35-54 years 38% 62%
55+ years 22% 78%
Men 47% 53%
Women 37% 63%
Survey respondents also cited the following
five benefits of job hopping.
• Earning higher compensation
• Gaining new skills
• Moving up the career ladder faster
• Experiencing a new corporate culture
• Looks better on a resume to have
multiple employers
The survey included responses from
324 adult employees who work in an office
environment.
US:
Job-hopping helps
young careers
managers and executives forming
the bulk of the talent pool. This
workforce set has transferrable
skills which they can take across to
other jobs and companies.”
While Teo accepts that crafting
good HR policies can curb job-
hopping, she says it also depends
on the candidate profile and the
type of job involved.
“There are, perhaps, among the
younger set, those who want to
move on, even if they are happy
in a job and if conditions such as
compensation and benefits are
good,” she elaborates.
Tellingly, Right Management’s
Global Career Aspiration survey cited
that when it comes to success,
enjoyment and happiness at work
trumps performance and salary.
Twenty-six per cent of employees
define success in the
workplace as enjoyment
and happiness, followed
by salary (19%), doing
their best work (18%),
respect and recognition
(15%), and high
performance (10%).
“Also, there’s an
ongoing disconnect
between employers
who are struggling
to find skilled and
motivated individuals,
and employees whose aspirations,
go beyond the traditional benefits
package,” says Teo.
The survey also highlighted
that employees will leave jobs for
improved work/life balance and
higher pay: the top motivations for
changing jobs.
Menon identifies three initiatives
HR departments can embark on to
stop job-hopping.
He says organisations should
spend more time, money and other
resources on hiring to make sure
the firm is hiring the right fit,
culturally as well as for the skills.
Secondly, Menon stresses that
companies should do regular focus
group and engagement surveys
among staff to diagnose problems
even before they crop up.
Finally, he says organisations
should identify trends on job
hopping and see if they show
any particular signs relating to
a specific department, manager,
or skill group, and then work on
corrective measures.
Menon adds that HR plays an
important role as it is part of the
organisational culture.
“Normally people job hop only
if there are multiple reasons and
not just one,” he says. “If someone
does it often, I would suggest they
go to a career counsellor.”
Interviewing a job-hopper
For those who frequently engage
in job-hopping, the burning
question is if they are negatively
impacted during job interviews
and assessments. Teo
says that is a definite
possibility.
“Candidates may
feel they get a shot in
the arm from a jump
in salary each time
they move, so they are
immediately gratified,”
says Teo.
“However, they might
be doing themselves a
disservice in the long
run as employers find
people who switch jobs at short
intervals unstable.”
Teo explains that although the
market perception is that each job
change should be matched by a 15
to 20% pay increase, employers are
in reality more willing to fork out
only a five to 10% increase amid
the current uncertain economic
climate.
Menon also concurs that job-
hopping can affect a candidate’s
chances at an interview, “especially
during the screening stage.”
Huang, on the other hand, says
this matter is very subjective.
“It depends on the reasons
provided by candidates (for their
job exits) during interviews and
how valid they are,” she adds.
26%of employees define success in
the workplace as enjoyment and
happiness, followed by salary,
doing their best work, respect and
recognition, and high performance
Right Management’s Global
Career Aspiration survey