Dive Brief:
- A number of workers are reconsidering what makes for a successful career, with some outright rejecting the traditional career ladder in favor of “portfolio careers” — multiple sources of income, according to Randstad’s latest Workmonitor research, released Tuesday.
- Of the more than 27,000 workers surveyed, only 41% said they want to follow a traditional career path. Likewise, 72% of the 1,225 employers polled said the linear career ladder is outdated.
- “Traditional career goals are changing, with talent and organizations thinking with greater flexibility about what success looks like,” Randstad CEO Sander van ‘t Noordende said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
Randstad characterized this shift as part of what it called the “Great Workforce Adaption,” driven by an artificial intelligence-fueled need for upskilling and a lack of trust in leadership.
Facing uncertainty, workers are “adapting, diversifying their risk and taking control through shaping ‘portfolio careers’ or stepping away from progression altogether,” according to the research.
A July 2025 Glassdoor report revealed that most workers with side gigs view them as insurance policies for financial stability. Of the more than 800 Glassdoor Community members surveyed, 67% said their main motivation for securing a side hustle was to increase their income, followed by a career pivot, passion project or for skill building.
Of the employees surveyed by Randstad, 40% said they’ve taken on a second job, 36% intend to up their hours to address the rising cost of living and 38% plan to work at different jobs and in different sectors throughout their careers.
That presents an opportunity for employers, Randstad said. Those that can offer multiple pathways will stand out more in the competition for talent, according to the research.
“Supporting fluid, non-linear career paths will secure loyalty from a workforce seeking security through flexibility,” Randstad said.
Companies, too, can retain workers by providing work-life balance, Randstad said. While 81% of workers said pay is the top factor in choosing a role, nearly half identified work-life balance as their key retention factor, compared to just shy of a quarter who cited pay.
A recent report by EY had similar findings: Workplace culture plays a big role in retention. EY found that 60% of workers said that workplace culture influenced their decision to stay at their job “a great deal” or “a lot.”