As Employment Grows, Americans Are Itching to Change Jobs

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- A study by national executive search firm FPC says that four in five Americans want to change their jobs. What's behind the numbers, and is the economy even strong enough to grant workers their wish?

As part of FPC's 2011 Year in Review, the recruiting firm interviewed 1,500 U.S. workers, of whom a whopping 79% said they "were planning on looking for a new job once the economy improves."

In a recent survey, four in five Americans said they want to switch jobs.

The laundry list of reasons FPC culled from its survey participants tells a story of workforce warriors with limited opportunities and a long memory of transgressions, perceived and real, that they suffered at the hands of often arrogant employers during the Great Recession.

Here are some of the more prominent reasons employees are so anxious to move on to greener pastures:

Opportunities are blocked
About 50% of survey participants told FPC that, while they have achieved more marketable skills with their current employer, opportunities for advancement at that employer are severely limited, leaving workers no choice but to search for a better career path elsewhere.