Employed individuals are open not only to searching for a new job, but also to transitioning to a different career. Four in 10 working adults (38%) say they are likely to change careers (e.g., switch to a new industry or field, or a different position or role) within the next year, as do one in two Millennials (51%) and one in three members of Gen X (34%).

Many do not believe that landing their ideal job is a future possibility, as four in 10 working adults (44%) are worried they will never find the perfect job for them. Opinions differ based on employee occupation. Notably, half of those working in the office–administrative (51%), industrial (48%), and professional–managerial (47%) industry sectors lack confidence that they will ever find their ideal job, while one in four in health care (39%) and one in three in the engineering, IT, and scientific sector (32%) share this concern. And seven in 10 students (69%) also worry about finding the right job.

"The U.S. is immersed in the tightest labor market in modern history with millions of unfilled openings across geographies and industries," said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. "It's a job seeker's market—a reality lost on many people who, as the ASA Workforce Monitor shows, sadly lack optimism about their prospects of finding a perfect position."