Time away from the office is giving American workers both the clarity and motivation to rethink their careers, with new research revealing just how many professionals are job hunting on the beach.
New research from resume.io reveals that more than half of U.S. workers (55.3%) have realized they wanted to quit their job while on vacation. Even more striking, nearly three in five (56.9%) admit to browsing job listings or actively job hunting while on a trip.
According to a survey of 600 U.S. professionals, more than one in four workers (26.8%) have submitted job applications while on vacation, while another 30.0% browsed listings without applying. Only 43% of workers fully unplugged while on PTO.
But for many, this epiphany doesn’t last once the vacation ends. Half of workers (50.3%) say the urge to quit faded once they returned to the office. Still, a significant share acted on it: roughly one in 20 (4.6%) quit once they got back to work, nearly one in three (30.1%) started actively job hunting, and another 15% say they haven’t made a move yet but are planning to.
Gen Z are most likely to job-hunt from the beach
The data reveals a generational divide in vacation behavior, with younger professionals far more likely to use PTO as career-planning time.
More than three in four Gen Z workers (77.7%) have job-hunted or browsed listings while on vacation, nearly double the rate of Gen X (41.4%). Four in 10 Gen Z workers (40%) have applied for jobs while on vacation, more than double the Gen X rate (16.6%) and well ahead of millennials (30.4%).
The data found that Gen Z was also the most likely generation to have a “quit moment” on vacation (57.8%), though the gap with older workers was narrower than you might expect (Gen X: 53%, millennials: 54.7%).
The real divide shows up in what happens next. Nearly half of Gen Z workers (43.5%) started job hunting after a vacation epiphany, more than double the Gen X rate (19.5%). Millennials were close behind at 34.6% and were actually the generation most likely to quit outright after a trip (5.7%), ahead of both Gen Z (3.5%) and Gen X (2.7%).
Gen X, meanwhile, was the most likely generation to shrug off the feeling entirely. Nearly two-thirds of Gen X workers (63.3%) say the urge to quit faded once they returned to work, the highest “do nothing” rate of any generation and well ahead of Gen Z (42.4%).
Women are more likely to act on vacation career doubts
The research also highlights subtle but consistent differences in how men and women handle career dissatisfaction on vacation.
Women were slightly more likely than men to experience a work wake-up call while on vacation (57.1% vs. 53.8%) and were also more likely to take immediate action by applying for jobs during their trip (28.9% vs. 25.2%). Men, meanwhile, were more likely to browse job listings without applying (32% vs. 27.7%), effectively window-shopping for their career move.
Post-vacation behavior was nearly identical across genders: roughly 30.0% started job hunting, 50.0% let the feeling fade, and 15.0% committed to planning their next move—suggesting that while men and women arrive at the vacation epiphany differently, they respond to it in much the same way.
Amanda Augustine, a Certified Professional Career Coach, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and resident career expert for resume.io, said in a statement: “The fact that more than half of American workers say they’ve realized they wanted to quit their job while on vacation should be a wake-up call for employers. Time away from work doesn’t create dissatisfaction; rather, it reveals it. When people finally have the chance to step back from their day-to-day, they’re often able to see more clearly what’s working in their career—and more importantly, what isn’t. It’s especially telling that more than one in four workers aren’t even waiting to get home before acting on that realization by applying for jobs while they’re away.
“The generational divide is particularly striking. Gen Z workers are nearly twice as likely as Gen X to job-hunt on vacation, and four in 10 have submitted applications from a trip. These are workers who have come of age in a job market shaped by remote work, constant connectivity, and rapid career pivots. For them, the line between time off and career planning barely exists. Regardless of age, when employees spend their PTO browsing job boards instead of truly disconnecting, it’s usually a sign that the dissatisfaction started well before the vacation did.
“For employers, this is a reminder that employee retention isn’t something you can focus on only when people are in the office. Vacation often provides the mental space employees need to evaluate whether their current role is still meeting their needs. Creating a workplace where people feel challenged, supported, and see opportunities for growth year-round is one of the best ways to ensure they come back from vacation feeling refreshed instead of ready to leave.”
Photo credit: magnific/Freepik
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Tags: careers, Payroll, PTO, quitting job, vacation
