Can Job-Hopping Still Pay Off in This Difficult Market?
It’s not easy getting a handle on the 2026 U.S. job market because the news keeps skewing back and forth between good and bad.
This kind of uncertainty can make it difficult to decide how best to move forward in your career. Job-hopping is one way to get a quick salary spike — which is why so many workers have gone that route in recent years.
But can it still pay off in the current market? Here’s a closer look.
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The Current Job Market
Job candidates can find both positive and negative takeaways from recent employment data.
On the bright side, private sector employment outperformed expectations by rising 4.4% year-over-year in April, according to the latest ADP employment report. But a separate report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that hiring plans in April declined 69% from the previous month and 38% from the previous year.
Meanwhile, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data gave mixed signals, with strong job growth in March and April being partially offset by negative revisions to the February numbers.
The current job market has been described as "low-hire, low-fire,” meaning a lot of companies are sitting tight rather than announcing major hiring or downsizing initiatives. Notable exceptions include tech giants Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, each of which has announced thousands of layoffs in recent months, according to 24/7 Wall St.
Job-Hopping Trends
There was a rapid increase in job-hopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, when workers saw an opportunity to boost their pay in a tight labor market, Fortune reported.
But the trend had picked up steam even before the pandemic, according to Joel Marotti, senior managing partner at Vertical Media Solutions, a certified professional resume writing firm.
“For about 15 years, job-hopping was truly a smart, strategic play,” Marotti said. “[Job] switchers get bigger pay raises than people who stick around. We saw this a lot, with folks receiving 2% salary increases after 10 years at a job, when one job change could mean a 25% increase in total comp.”
Somewhere in early 2025, that changed.
“Most career advice hasn't really caught up, but the data has flipped,” Marotti added.
Job-hopping “isn't dead,” but the strategy does look different in the current market, according to Stephanie Alston, CEO of BGG Enterprises, an executive recruitment agency.
“At the height of COVID, job-hopping was the number one way for jobseekers to obtain rapid salary growth,” Alston explained. “Things have shifted dramatically since."
Can Job-Hopping Still Pay Off?
As with any career move, job-hopping can still be an effective strategy. It really depends on the specific job, employee and company. Just don’t assume it will work as well as it did a few years ago.
“The biggest mistake job seekers can make right now is assuming the market still operates like it did in 2021 or 2022,” Alston said. “This is a much more cautious environment, so professionals should focus less on hopping quickly.”
Mark Coffie, former banker and current CEO of Magical Butter, recommended treating job moves like long-term career investments rather than short-term fixes.
“I still am a proponent of strategic job change, especially for those professionals who might be underpaid, stagnant and eager to move into stronger industries,” Coffie explained. “Today, timing makes more of a difference. When the hiring environment becomes slow, it takes longer for employees who leave stable roles without another position lined up to find a next job.”
Risk vs. Reward
As a general rule, you can still boost your pay by switching jobs versus staying put. Marotti cited data showing that as of early 2026, people changing jobs saw an average annual pay increase of 6.4% versus 4.5% for those who stayed put.
But is the 2% pay gain worth it in an uncertain job market?
“It really depends on your sensitivity to risk and the industry you're in,” Marotti said. “But the default assumption should change. Switching jobs is not necessarily going to benefit you the way it used to.”
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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