A poll conducted by Monster shows the like-minded nature of workers amid a challenging economic climate; over half of respondents (55%) said they are considering switching their career in response to economic troubles, while nearly one third (30%) would consider a move if they could find a better career. Conversely just 15 percent responded that their career was not impacted by the economy.

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW) asked visitors to their site the question, “Are national or global economic troubles causing you to consider a complete career change?” and received 4,607 responses.  International findings included:

• Yes, I am trying to switch my career: 55%
• Maybe, if I can find a better career: 30%
• No, my career is not impacted by economic troubles: 15%

Results indicate a consistent response from workers across Europe, North America and Asia, where more than half of respondents in these countries are looking to change their career in response to an uncertain economy, by a respective 54 and joint 55 percent. North American regions included US (56%), Canada (55%) and Mexico (51%).

Monster UK respondents were meanwhile overwhelmingly in agreement about considering a switch in their career due to economic troubles, with nearly two-thirds (62%) answering yes.

Of those who aren’t already considering a career switch, many others are on the fence; one third of Canadian workers (33%) would consider a career change if something better came along, a response closely favoured by French (31%) and US (30%) respondents.

In comparison, there is a significant difference in the responses of workers country to country who answered that the economy is not impacting their career. Just nine percent of workers polled in the UK answered their career was not impacted, compared to 15 percent of French workers who answered no to the same question.

“There are many kinds of career change — some people may be making a career ‘side-step,’ moving into a new kind of role within their current industry; others may be making a more radical change, ” says Charles Purdy, Monster.com’s career expert. “A first step is doing thorough research, making sure that they have realistic expectations and a concrete plan for filling skills gaps. People considering a career change should reach out to their networks and consider conducting informational interviews, for example. All of us should be actively managing our careers and making sure we’re on top of developments in our chosen industry. At the same time, employers can work to retain employees by offering incentives such as training and skills development.”

The results of the current Monster Global Poll are based on votes cast by Monster visitors from: February 6 – February 20 2012. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The Monster Global poll, a product of Monsterâ, the leading global online careers website and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide Inc., is a series of online polls that gauge users’ opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace.  These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate.

Credit: onrec.com