Approximately a third, or 30.1% of Japanese employees said they wished to change jobs or work independently, reports Nippon, citing a survey by Japan Management Association. The survey asked if they wished to ‘work at one company through to retirement’ or, if given the chance, ‘change jobs or work independently’, 30.1% chose the latter. While 20.6% of high school graduates wanted to change jobs, this rose to 34.0% for university graduates (including those who had graduated from technical and junior colleges).

The results also showed that the top game changer for new employees’ career paths was when they did not see that the company had a future, with 78.4% saying they would consider changing jobs at that point. This was followed by 72.4% who said they would leave if the company culture did not match their values. Further down in the ranking, in the range of 55%-60%, were those who said they would change companies if they saw no prospect of a wage increase or promotion.