HARRISBURG, Pa. — A recent Bankrate study estimates 55% of Americans will search for a new job over the next year.
"It's a sign of a quite healthy recovery," Elizabethtown College Economics professor Dmitriy Krichevskiy said. "It's a sign of a rapidly changing economy as well."
A majority of Americans looking to switch employers isn't necessarily a bad thing, according to Krichevskiy.
The survey found that more than half of Americans are somewhat likely or very likely to look for new employment within the next 12 months. Flexibility, higher pay, and job security are the top three reasons for a potential job switch.
However, with Pennsylvania's unemployment rate around 7%, now may not be the best time to start searching.
"The best time to do this is when unemployment is low and you don't have a lot of competition," Krichevskiy said.
It all depends on the industry. In industries like food services, you'll have a better chance of negotiating the things you want. But, Krichevskiy says, don't negotiate anything in the beginning of a job interview.
"It's a good idea to not negotiate wages in the beginning because in the beginning you're trying to build the value of position for yourself," he said. "You're selling yourself and the higher you sell yourself for, the better value negotiation and bargaining process will go at the end."
Krichevskiy adds, it's best to remain employed while searching for a job. It will help prevent you from accepting subpar offers.
"If you don't have employment, then people are more likely to accept low-ball offers or accept the first offer," he said. "Whereas, if you have a job, you can look around and you know you're worth something and if it's not good enough for what you want, you just walk away."