The cities where Australians are switching jobs more often – and the surprising places

Workers in Brisbane are more likely to switch jobs every year than in any other part of Australia to get a pay rise during a cost of living crisis.

An analysis of LinkedIn profiles by Resume.io has revealed the Queensland capital had the highest rate of job hopping with 18.6 per cent of employees leaving after just a year.

Brisbane also has a younger population than Sydney or Melbourne and is home to a high proportion of inner-city renters and university students.

The high staff turnover is also linked with a higher concentration of banking, information technology and hospitality jobs.

Workers in Brisbane are more likely to switch jobs every year than in any other part of Australia to get a pay rise during a cost of living crisis (pictured is the city from Kangaroo Point)

By comparison, 18.1 per cent of Adelaide workers left within 12 months, compared with 16.7 per cent in Canberra, 15.5 per cent in Melbourne, 15.2 per cent in Hobart, 14.1 per cent on the Gold Coast and Newcastle, 14 per cent in Wollongong and Sydney, and 13 per cent in Geelong.

Amanda Augustine, a career expert with Resume.io, said switching jobs was a better way to get a pay rise.

‘Your salary can increase by as much as 20 per cent each time you change jobs whereas most employees only receive an annual pay rise of 3 to 4 per cent,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.

This is significantly higher than the 3.6 per cent increase in the wage price index during the last financial year.

Workers who stay in the same job are effectively receiving a 1.8 per cent cut in real wages because broader salary increases are lagging behind the 5.4 per cent inflation rate. 

That means switching jobs is also a better way to receive better working conditions with unemployment still low at 3.7 per cent.

‘In addition, it’s often easier to negotiate package add-ons and flexible working arrangements during a new job discussion than it is during a compensation discussion with your current employer,’ Ms Augustine said.

At the other end of the scale, Newcastle had the most loyal employees with 20.5 per cent having been with the same employer for 10 years or more.

That put it ahead of Brisbane’s 20.3 per cent, Adelaide and Wollongong on 20 per cent, Sunshine Coast on 18.5 per cent,  Hobart and Geelong’s 17.4 per cent, Melbourne and Canberra’s 15.5 per cent and the Gold Coast on 15.4 per cent.

Sydney was nowhere to be seen on the top 10 list for employee loyalty. 

Job hopping could, however, slow down with the Reserve Bank of Australia expecting the jobless rate to rise to 4.5 per cent by the end of 2024.

That would see 114,500 people lose their job.

But cost of living pressures, in some areas, are continuing to worsen, despite a recent moderation in overall inflation, making job switching a high priority.

Commonwealth Bank data, based on the spending habits of its seven million customers, showed annual education costs surging by 14.7 per cent in August, up from 9 per cent in July following a surge in new international students.

Queensland, the state with a higher proportion of job switchers, had the biggest monthly spending growth in August of 1.5 per cent. 

At the other end of the scale, Newcastle had the most loyal employees with 20.5 per cent having been with the same employer for 10 years or more (pictured are swimmers at Nobbys Beach)

Amanda Augustine, a career expert with resume.io, said switching jobs was a better way to get a pay rise