The Evolving Working Life
52% of Australian workers wish they had chosen a different career, with ‘career regret’ spiking amongst Millennial and Gen X workers.
The biggest barrier for those who regret their career choice is the fear that it’s ‘too late’ to make a change.
More than a third of Australian workers (38%) believe they will realistically work into their 70s and beyond.
44% are comfortable making a career change, but only 7% are actively looking at ways to change careers.
When thinking about the future of work, more than half of Australians (53%) feel hopeful, 47% feel optimistic and 1 in 3 (37%) feel confident.
With the average life expectancy and retirement age continuing to climb, SEEK has released its Evolving Working Life Report, providing insights into how Australian workers feel about their working life and careers in 2025 and beyond.
This survey of over 3,000 workers across a broad range of generations, locations and industries* reveals that more than half (52%) of Australians regret their career choice, stating they would choose a different career if they had their time over. Not earning enough was the top reason for this regret (47%), followed by interests and passions changing (30%) and their work being unfulfilling (28%).
The Report shows that 44% of Australians are open to the idea of a career change, although only 7% are actively moving towards one. The primary reason for being reluctant to change is the fear it’s ‘too late’. Despite this, 86% of workers acknowledge that Australians are working longer than ever before, with more than 1 in 3 believing they will work well into their 70s or beyond.
Leigh Broderick, SEEK’s Head of Market Data comments: “It is understandable that with many of us living and working longer than ever before, many Australians may be rethinking their current career. What we found particularly interesting in the Evolving Working Life Report was the mismatch between so many workers believing that they would be working into their 70s, yet many believing it was too late to make a change, even the younger generations!”
“Having second thoughts about your career choice is a very common experience. However, pivoting into something new doesn’t have to be daunting. There are small steps workers can take right now to boost their skillset or prepare for a potential shift in the future. We want to help Australians feel confident in making changes to their careers, both big and small, and at any stage, so they can lead working lives that may be longer, but are also sustainable and fulfilling.”
Australian workers rethink their careers
When asked whether they would choose a different career if they had their time over, Millennial (54%) and Gen X (57%) workers aged between 25 - 57 years are more likely to say they would, compared to Baby Boomers (52%) and Gen Z workers (40%).
Interestingly, concern about the future longevity of their careers ranks low as a reason for a rethink, with ‘career regret’ instead largely being attributed to:
‘I don’t earn enough’ - 47%
‘My interests/passions have changed’ - 30%
‘It’s unfulfilling’ - 28%
‘Poor work/life balance’ - 26%
‘I chose the wrong career for me’ - 18%
The research uncovered several factors holding Australian workers back from making a career change. Alongside the feeling that it’s ‘too late’ (43%), financial concerns (41%) and a lack of relevant qualifications (29%) are top reasons. A number of workers also feel overwhelmed about making a career change, saying they wouldn’t know where to start (25%).
Australians’ top concerns about the future of work
With Australian workers acknowledging the likelihood of their longer working life, this Report deep dives further into their biggest concerns when considering the future of work. The top concerns, which show similarities with the reasons for ‘career regret’, are:
‘Burning out’ - 35%
‘Slow or no salary growth’ - 32%
‘Poor work/life balance’ - 26%
‘Needing to work for a long time to make financial ends meet’ - 24%
‘Being able to physically do my work’ - 19%
Gen Z shows the highest concern for the top three factors compared to older generations, particularly around burning out (52%). Having a job that doesn’t fulfil their purpose (20%) is also weighing heavily on the minds of the youngest generation. Despite these concerns, there’s a sense of optimism, with nearly half (47%) feeling positive about their future careers. There’s also a sense of security, with over half of working Australians (56%) believing their current role will exist in 10 years, and very few (10%) feeling concerned that their skills and experience will become redundant with technology advancements.
Feeling prepared for the future
Australian workers are aware that they will likely be working longer, with 60% agreeing it will be out of necessity, rather than by choice. While many workers feel hopeful (53%), confident (37%) and even excited (24%), about the years ahead, SEEK's Career Coach, Leah Lambart, acknowledges that others are finding this prospect overwhelming (23%).
“SEEK’s new Evolving Working Life Report shows we are more agile than we may give ourselves credit for, with half of Australian workers having already worked in at least 3 different industries. But, a quarter of us still confess to feeling uncomfortable with making a change in our career.
"Whether it’s a drastic change in industry or even simpler switch-ups in how you work in your current role - if you’re going to be working for longer, it’s even more important to keep an open mind about evolving your career journey throughout your life to make sure it’s right for you.”
Read the full Evolving Working Life report here.
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Notes
About SEEK’s Evolving Working Life Report
This research was conducted by Nature between October 2024 - February 2025. Sample size was 3,033 working-age Australians.
About SEEK
SEEK is a market leader in online employment marketplaces that span ten countries across Asia Pacific and Latin America. SEEK invests heavily to create innovative technology products to help people live more fulfilling and productive working lives and help organisations succeed.
Last year, SEEK was recognised as one of Australia’s Top Ten Places to Work in Tech in the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work awards and in 2023 celebrated 25 years since the launch of seek.com.au