Does Job Hopping Help Or Hurt Your Career?

Survey Reveals Workers Favor Frequent Job Changes, but Managers Aren’t on Board

The tenure tide is shifting, and substantially more workers — especially those from younger generations — see rewards in job hopping than before, according to new research from global staffing firm Robert Half. Sixty-four percent of professionals polled think changing roles every few years can be beneficial, with the biggest perk being a higher salary. This marks a 22 percent increase from a similar survey conducted four years ago.

Executives don’t necessarily agree. A separate survey of CFOs found 44 percent are not at all likely to hire a candidate with a history of job hopping because they want to avoid losing them in the future.

But workers and managers are close to agreeing on one thing: When asked the number of role changes in 10 years that constitute a job hopper, professionals said five and CFOs cited six.

View a slideshow to see how workers and executives view job hopping.

Other key findings from the research:

  • Seventy-five percent of employees ages 18 to 34 view job hopping as beneficial, compared to 59 percent of workers ages 35 to 54 and 51 percent of those 55 and older.
  • Workers with a college degree or higher see the most benefit in changing jobs every few years (67 percent).
  • Company size matters: 51 percent of CFOs at companies with more than 1,000 employees said a history of frequent job changes isn’t relevant if the candidate is the right fit.
  • The biggest drawback of job hopping, cited by 46 percent of workers, is being perceived as a flight risk.

“While job hopping can have benefits, too many employment changes can raise red flags with hiring managers,” said Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half. “Professionals should take time to weigh the pros and cons before making a career move.”

Companies struggling with employee turnover need to make retention a priority. Added McDonald, “In today’s candidate-short market, keeping key performers engaged should be top of mind for managers. Businesses worried about losing talent to the competition should focus on improving corporate culture and strive to be the type of company employees want to stay with long term.”

Robert Half offers the following tips for professionals when considering a job change — and for managers to attract and retain workers:

For professionals:

  • Assess your current situation. Consider what you would be leaving behind by changing jobs, including your compensation package and nonmonetary aspects such as a supportive manager or team.
  • Ask for a second opinion. Consult with a trusted mentor or specialized recruiter who can help you decide whether changing jobs is the best option or not.
  • Leave on good terms. Give ample notice and complete outstanding projects before your last day. You never know when you will cross paths with current colleagues or if you may decide to return to your present employer.

For managers:

  • Make your company a great place to work. Promote your organization’s reputation and values to attract candidates who have similar principles. Highlight advantages, such as a positive corporate culture and flexible scheduling options, that make employees feel respected and excited to come to work.
  • Implement succession planning at all levels. Have career path discussions with top talent so they understand how they can advance at your company.
  • Invest in employees’ growth. Offering professional development opportunities can increase job satisfaction of existing staff and attract in-demand candidates.

Senate Democrats Target Trump’s Alleged Interference Into Mega Media Merger

Sen. Chris Van Hollen wants U.S. Attorney General William Barr to investigate whether President Donald Trump played a heavy role in recent media merger reviews, Axios reported Friday.

The Maryland Democrat’s request comes as other members of his party are asking for information related to a New Yorker report that the president directed officials to ensure the Department of Justice sue to block the AT&T-Time Warner deal. Van Hollen made the request in a letter to Barr, who was confirmed in February as former AG Jeff Sessions permanent replacement.

Van Hollen claimed in an interview with Axios that is not “suggesting that the findings from DOJ in AT&T were wrong” to block the merger between Time Warner and AT&T,  but that it was important “to understand whether or not the White House interfered with the decision.” The New Yorker piece fleshes out in detail the connections between Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch, who opposed the merger.

House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York and Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island are among a slew of Democrats targeting the case. Nadler and Cicilline sent letters to DOJ Antitrust division and White House counsel Pat Cipollone asking them for documents related to the blocked merger.

Critics called the DOJ’s move unusual, given that AT&T and Time Warner aren’t competitors — where AT&T is a telecommunications firm that provides wireless service, while Time Warner is an entertainment conglomerate that owns movie studios, cable networks, and publishing houses (or, a supplier). The fusion of distributors and supplier is often referred to as vertical integration.

Trump Admin Applauds UnitedHealth’s Price Transparency Push

 

byRobert Donachie

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar applauded UnitedHealthcare’s move to increase price transparency in the health care marketplace, an initiative Azar put at the top of his agenda since President Donald Trump appointed him in 2017.

“Today’s announcement by UnitedHealthcare is a prime example of the type of movement toward transparency and lower drug prices for millions of patients that the Trump Administration is championing,” Azar said in a statement Tuesday. “Empowering patients and providers with the information and control to put them in the driver’s seat is a key part of our strategy at the Department of Health and Human Services to bring down the price of drugs and make healthcare more affordable.”

The health care company will stop keeping millions in discounts it receives from drug companies and will instead share those discounts with its customers, UnitedHealthcare announced Tuesday.

Pharmaceutical makers and insurance companies are in an ongoing standoff. Drug manufacturers blame insurance companies for not redistributing rebates with customers, claiming insurance providers could do more to help lower prescription drug costs if they shared rebates.

Insurance providers claim to use rebates to help lower consumers’ insurance costs.

The policy will apply to in excess of seven million individuals who are enrolled in its fully insured insurance plans. Those changes will not take effect until 2019, UnitedHealthcare President Dan Schumacher said.

“UnitedHealthcare is uniquely positioned to deliver new value and clarity to health care, and pharmacy benefits in particular,” Schumacher said. “Our differentiated pharmacy model, powered by OptumRx, is delivering solutions that lead to better health outcomes and make prescription drugs more affordable.”

“The benefit could range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars to over a thousand,” Schumacher added.

The administration recently disclosed its plans to help lower the costs of prescription drugs and medical costs, to The Daily Caller News Foundation and a few other outlets.

Health and Human Services is framing the issue through two key questions, Azar told TheDCNF. “How can we try to start flipping some of those incentives in the system geared towards higher prices? How do we find pockets of our programs where we maybe don’t negotiate enough or have people negotiating on our behalf to get as good of a deal?” He noted.

The administration is targeting a number of federal agencies — such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and federal policies such as Medicaid (Parts B and D) — to accomplish those objectives.

Azar rolled out a proposal Monday for a value-based health care system, arguing for one more cost effective and transparent than the current market for health care in the U.S.

“We at HHS see stakeholders, including our nation’s hospitals, as part of the solution to our country’s many healthcare challenges. We recognize that it’s not just government that wants better healthcare for all Americans. Our partners in the private sector, all of you, want the same,” Azar said Monday in a speech to the Federation of American Hospitals.

The administration is focused on taking steps toward lowering U.S. citizens’ care costs while instituting a series of reforms to Medicare and Medicaid, Azar added. The administration also wants to add price transparency — a missing feature of the U.S. health care market — to allow consumers to shop around for the best price, as they would for virtually every other good or service.

The administration isn’t alone in its push for greater price transparency.

GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Todd Young of Indiana, along with Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Tom Carper of Delaware, are pushing what they call a “health care price transparency initiative.”

Republicans are focusing on price transparency in 2018, after failing a handful of times to repeal and replace Obamacare during Trump’s first year in the White House.

Find Money for College: Tips on Completing the FAFSA

The 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid opened today, and U.S. News & World Report is here to help with an in-depth guide on what to know about the $120 billion in aid shelled out annually to college students by the Department of Education. U.S. News’ Paying for College Reporter Farran Powell offers the following tips about the FAFSA, a useful way to pay for school.

  1. Complete the FAFSA: One recent study found that nearly 40 percent of high school graduates didn’t complete the FAFSA, which means some families gave up the chance to be eligible for federal grants that don’t have to be repaid. Even if a family doesn’t qualify for Pell Grants, which assist students from low-income households, they might be eligible for other types of aid, like federal student loans.
  2. Submit the FAFSA early: Even though the federal deadline isn’t until June 30, students and their families should complete the form early to ensure they are eligible to receive aid. Some states and colleges offer financial aid on a first-come, first-served basis, and waiting to fill out the form might mean leaving money on the table.
  3. Know that many states and colleges use the FAFSA: Although the FAFSA is for federal financial aid, many states and colleges also use the form to disburse aid awards.
  4. Understand that many families qualify for aid: In addition to household income, factors that determine how much aid a student receives include the number of people in a household, child support costs, college savings and other financial assets – to name a few. Even families with higher incomes typically qualify for some type of aid, like work-study or federal loans, which usually carry lower interest rates compared with private loans.

“Navigating the FAFSA process can seem complex for many families, since the form has more than 100 questions. Starting this year, the FAFSA can be completed using a mobile app,” Powell said. “This initiative is intended to increase completion rates and help low-income families who may not have access to a personal computer.”

Below are more step-by-step guides that students and their families can use when researching how to pay for college:

  • An Ultimate Guide to Understanding College Financial Aid
  • How to Find and Secure Scholarships for College
  • What You Need to Know About College Tuition Costs

These guides serve U.S. News’ broader mission of providing trusted information and rankings to help students navigate their higher education options. These include expert advice and tips on the financial aid process, college affordability, student loans and more. U.S. News also publishes annual rankings of the Best High Schools, Best Colleges, Best Global Universities, Best Graduate Schools and Best Online Programs.

New Mexico Governor Withdraws Border Troops On Same Day As SOTU

Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered the majority of the state’s National Guard troops away from protecting the southern border Tuesday.

“I reject the federal contention that there exists an overwhelming national security crisis at the southern border, along which are some of the safest communities in the country,” Grisham said in a Tuesday statement only hours ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, The Hill reported.

“New Mexico will not take part in the president’s charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops,” Grisham also said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.

Grisham made her statements shortly before Trump delivered his address, as media and leaders on both sides of the political aisle expressed concern over Trump’s threat to declare a national emergency in order to build a border wall.

Her remarks also follow the Pentagon’s Sunday announcement that it will send an additional 3,750 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. The number of troops guarding the border now totals 4,350.

A majority of the 118 troops currently stationed along the southern border will come home. Roughly a dozen officers will remain at the border to assist with humanitarian needs, according to the governor. State police will help the remaining troops as needed, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

The governor did recognize that protection is needed in some areas of the state especially. “However, I recognize and appreciate the legitimate concerns of residents and officials in southwestern New Mexico, particularly Hidalgo County, who have asked for our assistance, as migrants and asylum-seekers continue to appear at their doorstep,” Grisham said, according to The Hill.

“It wouldn’t surprise me that she timed this release to send a direct message to the president,” a senior Democratic aide told The Hill.

“We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens,” Trump said during his address to the nation. “No issue better illustrates the divide between America’s working class and America’s political class than illegal immigration.”

“Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let’s work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe,” Trump continued.

Border wall apprehensions jumped 61 percent in the first quarter of 2019, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Grisham did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment in time for publication.

Trump Admin Launches Investigation Into Foreign Car Imports That May Have ‘Eroded’ US Industry

 

by Vandana Rambaran

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it will launch a national security investigation into car and truck imports that could result in new U.S. tariffs on vehicles from Europe, Japan, and South Korea.

“There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement Wednesday.

The probe was initiated using Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, the same provision that allowed President Donald Trump to place a 25 percent tax on imported steel and 10 percent tax on imported aluminum back in March.

Ross went on to say that the major goal of the probe would be to determine if foreign imports are “weakening our internal economy” and “impair national security.” The announcement comes after Trump tweeted that there would be “big news” for auto workers.

The investigation prompted several Asian automakers across Japan and South Korea, including Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Hyundai to sell their shares on Thursday to protect from higher tariffs.

Stocks fell as Toyota dropped 3.1 percent, Nissan 1.8 percent and Honda 3.4 percent. In Seoul, Hyundai fell 3.1 percent. The proposed tariffs raise the cost for foreign automakers to export cars and car parts to the U.S., which is the world’s second-largest auto market.

The investigation is in line with Trump’s “America First” trade agenda that appealed to Americans during the 2016 elections when he promised to prioritize reclaiming American manufacturing jobs that were lost to overseas competitors and renegotiate NAFTA to return more auto production to the U.S.

Trump administration officials said before the announcement that the investigation will hopefully cause countries that have been holding out to double down on renegotiating NAFTA.

The threat of tariffs could pressure Canada and Mexico to strike a deal as both countries have been at a stalemate with the U.S. over America’s demand for wage increases in the auto industry and a push to expand North American content in cars. In addition, the investigation will also put pressure on Japan, which exports $168 billion in goods and services to the U.S., and the EU, which makes up $416 billion in exports, to reach a trade deal.

Puerto Rico Returns To Top Spring Break Destinations For First Time Since Hurricane Maria

Puerto Rico has officially made a comeback, with enough Americans traveling there to earn it the fifth most popular spot on the Top International Spring Break Destinations list, according to a new report. The island dropped off the list in 2018 as it recovered from 2017’s Hurricane Maria.

Watch:

Reappearing on the 2019 Top 10 Spring Break Destinations list is Salt Lake City, Utah, where skiers are heading to get in a few more runs this season. For travelers seeking sunny beaches, Florida continues to dominate the Top 10 list, with Tampa re-joining OrlandoFort Lauderdale and Fort Myers in the rankings. Orlando and Cancun maintain their number one spots as most popular domestic and international destinations, respectively, according to the Allianz Global Assistance report.

Allianz Global Assistance’s review of trips* planned for the Spring Break season – February 22, 2019 through April 21, 2019– for travel between five and eight days in length found that Orlando (7.9 percent) was the number one domestic destination for Spring Breakers. Following in popularity are Phoenix (5.4 percent), Las Vegas (4.3 percent), New York (4.1 percent), Los Angeles (3.9 percent), Fort Lauderdale (3.9 percent), Fort Myers (3.6 percent), Miami (3.4 percent), Salt Lake City (2.9 percent) and Tampa (2.8 percent).

Internationally, the top two destinations are in Mexico, with Cancun (11.8 percent) and San Jose Del Cabo (6.9 percent) leading the list. The next most popular destinations are Nassau, Bahamas (5.9 percent), which jumped from seventh last year to the top three; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (5.6 percent); San Juan, Puerto Rico (5.0 percent); Oranjestad, Aruba (4.8 percent); Higuey, Dominican Republic (4.7 percent); Montego Bay, Jamaica (4.2 percent); Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (3.5 percent); and Grand CaymanCayman Islands (3.2 percent).

“Americans are once again spending their travel funds in Puerto Rico, which has made an impressive comeback as it continues to rebuild after Hurricane Maria,” said Daniel Durazo, director of communications for Allianz Global Assistance USA. “Wherever you’re heading this year, sudden illness, storms or other circumstances can unexpectedly get in the way of your vacation. Travel insurance can provide peace-of-mind and may reimburse your investment in the case of delays or cancellations, making for a stress-free spring break.”

The Allianz findings also show the most popular flight days for Spring Break travel in 2019. The busiest domestic travel day (3.6 percent) is February 28, and March 16 (4.4 percent) for international flights. Most Spring Break travelers are spending five days in domestic destinations (31 percent) and eight in international (52 percent).

Top 10 Spring Break Destinations for 2019

2019 Rank

Domestic City

Rank Change 
from 2018

International City

Rank Change 
from 2018

1

Orlando

0

Cancun, Mexico

0

2

Phoenix

0

San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico

0

3

Las Vegas

+2

Nassau, Bahamas

+4

4

New York

+3

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

-1

5

Los Angeles

+3

San Juan, Puerto Rico

N/A

6

Fort Lauderdale

-2

Oranjestad, Aruba

0

7

Fort Myers

-1

Higuey, Dominican Republic

-3

8

Miami

1

Montego Bay, Jamaica

-3

9

Salt Lake City

N/A

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

-1

10

Tampa

N/A

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

-1

*Methodology: The data of U.S. travelers’ 2019 Spring Break plans was gathered by analyzing the number of travelers that went through the online booking process of airfare and package paths for partners offering Allianz Global Assistance travel to generate itineraries for roundtrip flights from US airports during Spring Break season (2/22/19 to 4/21/2019) for trips between five and eight days in length.