How Long Is Too long In One Job?

This question was posed in an international survey by global recruitment firm Robert Walters to 6,000 people from 14 countries. In Australia, 40 per cent said that more than five years was too long to stay in a job, 32 per cent said more than 10 years was too long, 20 per cent more than three years, six per cent believed more than two years, and two per cent more than one year. This compared to the global average of 30 per cent for over 10 years, 42 per cent for over five years, 20 per cent for over three years, six per cent for more than 2 years, and two per cent for more than one year.

Robert Walters Melbourne director David Chancellor said organisations should realise that people like to move around: "Organisations that allow their employees to move on a regular basis internally and prefer to promote from within are the ones where people will stay for a long time. No time is too long in a company if you are constantly being presented with new challenges."