A new career trend, dubbed 'lily-padding', is seeing young professionals frequently change jobs in a strategic effort to advance their careers and acquire diverse skillsets. This approach, likened to a frog moving across lily pads, prioritises varied experience over the traditional path of staying with one company and working one's way up. The phenomenon is particularly prevalent among Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, who are demonstrating a significantly higher rate of job mobility compared to previous generations.
Brittany Harris-Nelson, a 32-year-old based in the US, exemplifies this trend. She describes her career journey as a series of strategic moves across ten different roles at six universities over a decade, ultimately leading her to a coveted mid-level administrative position at Wake Forest University. While her salary did not always see substantial increases with each move, she gained valuable benefits such as additional paid leave and enhanced pension contributions. Harris-Nelson emphasises that each role contributed to building essential skills and perspectives, preparing her for her current responsibilities as assistant director of student engagement.
Data from a 2024 global survey by recruitment agency Randstad supports the observation of increased job mobility. The survey, which included 11,250 workers, found that the average tenure for a Gen Z employee in their first five years of employment is just 1.1 years. This is markedly shorter than the 1.8 years for millennials and nearly three years for older generations. This suggests a significant shift in how younger generations perceive and navigate their professional development.
For UK workers, this increased mobility appears to correlate with higher earnings. A 2025 report by financial company Wealthify indicated that individuals in the UK who changed jobs four or more times over the preceding decade earned an average of £39,276. This figure represents a 31% premium compared to the average of £30,088 earned by other workers, highlighting a potential financial incentive for adopting a 'lily-padding' strategy.
Another proponent of this non-linear career path is Adam Smiley Poswolsky, a 42-year-old public speaker and author. He explains that the conventional career ladder did not align with his search for 'meaning and purpose'. Over 15 years, Poswolsky transitioned between various sectors, including government, non-profit, creative, and corporate roles. His diverse experiences, ranging from a project leader for the Peace Corps to an English teacher at Harvard University and a film producer, allowed him to cultivate a unique skillset that ultimately led him to his current successful career as a public speaker and author.