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If you’ve ever worried that job hopping might hurt your career, new Canadian research suggests the answer depends on what you do, not how often you switch.
 
 

On a recent episode of the Delve podcast, hosted by McGill University’s Eric Dicaire, professors Matissa Hollister and Xavier St-Denis unpacked the findings of their new study on job mobility and hiring outcomes.

 
 

“Advice is given, and it’s kind of internalized for younger generations, that the only way to get ahead is that you can’t stay in one place. You have to look for new opportunities and move. We really wanted to look at whether or not that advice might actually backfire,” says Prof. Hollister in the podcast episode.

 
 

In the study, Prof. Hollister and Prof. St-Denis created fictitious resumes for candidates early in their careers; people with roughly eight years of post-college experience. The resumes reflected the same skillsets, but varying career paths: stable (one job with internal promotions), moderate (two longer stints with internal promotions) and high-mobility (changing roles about every two years).
 
 

When they submitted those resumes to real job postings, a pattern emerged. “We did find that employers, when hiring a software tester position, were much more tolerant of job hoppers,” says Prof. Hollister. “What was surprising is that it occurred across both tech and non-tech industries.”

 
 
 

On the flip side, they saw that candidates in non-tech roles such as HR, marketing and finance who changed jobs frequently were less likely to receive callbacks, with tech companies valuing the stable workers even more than other industries.

 
 

Prof. Hollister says understanding “occupational norms” is key.
 
 

“Each job and occupation comes with its own idea of how one should progress through it,” she explained on the podcast. So the takeaway is to understand the expectations for your field.
 
 

Prof. St-Denis says they are also thinking about the role that recruiters, and more recently artificial intelligence, play in the hiring patterns they’re seeing.

 
 

“Companies are not working in isolation making those hiring decisions,” he says. Noting that the recruiter ecosystem can drive up job hopping and automated screening tools may or may not detect and punish certain patterns as much as humans would.

 
 

For anyone planning their next move, this study is a reminder that job strategy is rarely one-size-fits-all.

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

5 per cent
 
 

That’s how many companies say they have the skills and headcount needed for priority projects in 2026, according to recruitment firm Robert Half.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

One worker was told they are being moved into a new job with a new title, different responsibilities – including work-related travel and different hours – and no pay increase. They’re wondering if they can decline the job and still be owed severance.

 
 

Experts say that because the original role was fundamentally altered, it may be considered a constructive dismissal which means they’re entitled to termination pay. The key is to act fast: lawyer up if needed, but make sure to let the employer know quickly and explicitly that the changes to the role have been declined.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

“There’s a paradox at the heart of meaningful sabbaticals: sometimes we have to step away from our lives to find ourselves inside them. Modern professional life has a quiet way of narrowing identity to fit a job description. Over time, we become known – and rewarded – for our role, capabilities or reputation. What begins as focus slowly becomes constraint. The narrowing works, until one day it doesn’t,” writes leadership coach Tony Martignetti.
 
 

In this article, Mr. Martignetti reveals some hard truths about sabbaticals, such as the fact that it might actually feel disruptive and that it isn’t just about indulgence. He also shares how people can shape purposeful pauses that actually change their trajectory for the better.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

The recent wave of 2016 nostalgia posts on social media may seem harmless, but experts say clearly dated photos and videos are valuable training data for artificial intelligence. By publicly sharing and labeling old images, often alongside current ones, users make it easier for AI companies to learn how people and identities change over time. Researchers warn this can also increase risks such as deepfakes and predictive tracking.