Is it just us or do so many people seem to be changing jobs at the moment? Some didn’t have a choice, of course ... need we mention a certain former Prime Minister and his inauspicious and involuntary removal from government? But aside from the country’s Very Top Job, many ‘commoners’ are changing jobs for a variety of reasons, and it can’t just be the chill in the winter air causing it.

Here are the five most common reasons job-seekers give for changing jobs:

1. More money

Yes, the almighty dollar is responsible for many a career path diversion, and rightly so. When you feel undervalued for the work you do, it’s only logical to pursue a position with higher earning potential. We all have bills to pay; getting paid more money for the same amount of time is a very attractive dangling carrot indeed.

2. Career burnout

Changing jobs is not always about moving onward and upward. Not everyone aspires to a more demanding job with greater responsibility, higher remuneration, company car and expense account. In fact, career burnout leads to the jobs equivalent of a sea change, where the priority becomes downsizing to a more manageable, fulfilling role.

3. Lack of fulfilment

When the very idea of turning up for work each day makes you want to eat nails instead, you know it’s time to change jobs. Creatures of habit we humans may be, but everyone has a limit. Boredom, depression, anxiety and restlessness are unhealthy, all to varying degrees and we’re all entitled to enjoy that large chunk of our day that we spend earning a crust.

4. Changes to personal circumstances

Big life changes have a way of influencing the way we can commit to work. Changing jobs becomes very necessary after an injury, the arrival of a baby, a relocation or an adjustment of our financial situation. Any of these could mean that it’s simply not possible to remain in your current job.

5. Stress!!

Stress kills and it ages us prematurely. Life is too short for panic attacks, screaming matches, unachievable deadlines and personality conflicts. When it becomes impossible to eliminate the stressors, changing jobs is the obvious solution.

At SMStheJOB, we see the changing dynamics in the jobs market.We observe the peaks and troughs in different industries and the trends in the numbers of candidates applying for specific sectors.People are changing jobs now more than ever before as they realise that life is not about plodding through and making the best of a situation. When you need to find a new role, you know where to find us.