About 58% of workers say that staying at a job too long is one of
their biggest career regrets, according to Resume Now’s 2024 survey of
1,000 workers across four countries. By contrast, among those who
changed career fields, roughly 30% regret the change — meaning more
than two-thirds do not. The gap is roughly 2:1, making career inertia
one of the more lopsided regret asymmetries in the survey literature.
The finding aligns cleanly with Gilovich and Medvec’s temporal model:
inaction regrets dominate over time. A bad career move generates sharp
short-term regret (the “what have I done” phase), but this fades as
people adapt to new roles. Staying too long, by contrast, compounds —
each passing year adds another counterfactual (“I could have left three
years ago”). The Resume Now data confirms this age gradient: mid-career
workers report the highest regret rates (70% of millennials, 69% of
Gen X), while baby boomers — who have had decades to either act or
rationalize — report 52%.
The caveat that matters is self-selection. People who change careers are
not a random draw from the working population. They tend to be more
risk-tolerant, more dissatisfied with the status quo, and more likely to
have a concrete alternative in mind. The ~30% regret rate among changers
reflects this filtered population, not what would happen if a random
office worker were reassigned to a new field. The 58% staying-too-long
figure is also broader than it appears: it includes people who eventually
did leave but wish they had done so sooner, not just lifelong stayers.
Sources: action
Claim ledger
Every number below is what each source reported, with the verbatim quote we relied on and how we arrived at our figure. Click any link to verify directly.
[1]Resume Now — The Road Not Taken: Greatest Career Regrets Revealed↗ 7 other entries
Reference source
38% regret quitting a job; among career changers, more than 70% did not regret the change
Excerpt
“"More people regret staying at a job (58%) vs quitting a job (38%). 41 percent of respondents took a leap of faith by changing career fields, and more than 70 percent of them didn't regret a thing."
”
Source data from
2024-01-10
Accessed
2026-04-25
Calculation
Resume Now polled 1,000 workers in the US, UK, France and Germany. Of the 41% who changed career fields, "more than 70 percent didn't regret a thing," implying up to 30% had some level of regret. We use 0.30 as the action-regret rate — the directly implied figure from the survey, not a midpoint estimate.
[2]Journal of Vocational Behavior / ScienceDirect — Regretting your occupation constructively: A qualitative study of career choice and occupational regret
Peer-reviewed
Career regret is common but varies by voluntariness; those who chose to change report lower regret than those forced out
Excerpt
“"Occupational regret is a widespread phenomenon affecting career satisfaction and well-being. Our findings suggest that regret intensity varies by the degree of agency in the career transition."
”
Source data from
2022-06-01
Accessed
2026-04-25
Calculation
Qualitative study confirming that voluntary career changers experience lower regret. Supports the ~30% figure for deliberate career changes (implied by Resume Now) vs the higher 38% for all job-quitters.
Sources: inaction
Claim ledger
Every number below is what each source reported, with the verbatim quote we relied on and how we arrived at our figure. Click any link to verify directly.
[1]Resume Now — The Road Not Taken: Greatest Career Regrets Revealed↗ 7 other entries
Reference source
58% of workers say their biggest career regret is staying at a job too long
Excerpt
“"More people regret staying at a job (58%) vs quitting a job (38%). Top career regrets include not asking for a pay increase (60%), not prioritizing work-life balance (59%), staying at a job too long (58%), and not negotiating salary (58%)."
”
Source data from
2024-01-10
Accessed
2026-04-25
Calculation
The 58% figure is the share of all surveyed workers who cite "staying at a job too long" as a career regret. This is not limited to those who stayed — it includes those who eventually left but wish they had left sooner. We use it as the inaction regret rate because it measures regret about not acting.
[2]CNBC — 60% of people have this No. 1 most common career regret
News article
66% of workers have work-related regrets; the most common is not asking for a raise (60%)
Excerpt
“"A majority of 66% of workers say they have work-related regrets. Top career regrets include not asking for a pay increase (60%), not prioritizing work-life balance in one's career (59%), and staying at a job too long (58%)."
”
Source data from
2024-03-21
Accessed
2026-04-25
Calculation
CNBC reporting on the same Resume Now survey. Confirms the 58% staying-too-long figure and places it alongside other inaction regrets (not negotiating, not prioritizing balance).
Caveats
The Resume Now survey asks about regrets retrospectively, which conflates "I stayed too long at one job" with "I stayed in the wrong career field." These are different decisions with different stakes. The 58% figure also includes people who did eventually leave — they just wish they had left sooner. The ~30% action-regret rate is implied by "more than 70% didn't regret" changing career fields, but the survey does not report the precise figure — it could be anywhere from 21% to 30%. Self-selection bias is present: people who change careers tend to be more risk-tolerant and more dissatisfied with the status quo, so the 30% figure reflects this filtered population, not what would happen if a random office worker were reassigned to a new field. Mid-career workers (millennials 70%, Gen X 69%) report the highest regret, suggesting that time horizon matters — older workers either resolved or rationalized their choices. The CNBC source is reporting on the same Resume Now survey, not an independent replication.
