Skip to Main Content Skip to bottom Skip to Chat, Email, Text

About University of Phoenix Career Institute®

University of Phoenix Career Institute® was created to address broad, persistent and systemic barriers to career advancement through research-based solutions and impactful partnerships that break down barriers Americans face in their careers.

mom with baby doing homework online

Inaugural 2023 Mothers Overcome More™ Report Reveals Having a Career is a Luxury that Not All Mothers Can Afford

CAREER OPTIMISM INDEX®

A comprehensive study of American workers’ career perceptions

The 2023 Career Optimism Index® found that despite the challenges of the past year, 80% of Americans remain hopeful about the future of their careers. However, their hope is grounded in their own sense of personal efficacy, not in their current employers. This has led to a “free agent” labor market where the workforce is willing to pursue alternative job opportunities unless employers invest in foundational career support over transactional perks.

What Workers are Saying

53% of Americans are actively looking for a new job or expect to in the next 6 months, with 46% of American workers willing to leave if their current employer offered them a severance package of 3-months' pay.

The Caveat

However, among those looking for a job or expecting to look for a job in the next six months, 68% said they would consider staying at their job if things could change.

What Employers Can Do

In order to retain employees, employers must channel their employees’ optimism to their current place of work by:

  • Making Mentorship Mandatory: 56% of Americans still say they do not have a mentor
  • Investing in Skilling: 70% of American workers say if their company gave them more opportunities to apply new skills, they would be more likely to stay throughout their career
  • Nurturing Workplace Wellness: 74% of Americans say they feel stressed about their job/career

Provost and Chief Academic Officer John Woods discusses the work of the University of Phoenix Career Institute®

News

White papers

To learn more about University of Phoenix Career Institute® or the Career Optimism Index®, please contact us at careerinstitute@phoenix.edu.