40% of Employed Americans Want to Get Out of Corporate America, According to Inaugural Creative Jobs Report

CreativeLive Study Finds Roughly 78 Million Employed Adults Would Jump Ship from Traditional Jobs to Self-Employment If They Could Pay Their Bills

Millennials Almost Twice as Likely as 45-64 Year Olds to Take Online Classes to Boost Skills

SAN FRANCISCO--()--Even in an uncertain economy, 40% of employed Americans say they want to leave corporate jobs, according to a new national study commissioned by CreativeLive, the world’s largest online education network. Further, 41 million1 employed Americans would be willing to take a pay cut for a job that allows them to be more creative.

The inaugural Creative Jobs Report uncovers current American attitudes and behaviors toward creativity in the workplace. Underscoring the growing interest in new, creative career pursuits, the report finds that over half (55%), or almost 78 million1 employed U.S. adults, would jump ship from a traditional job to be self-employed — if they could still pay their bills. In addition, 36% of employed adults want to quit their current jobs in search of something more creative. This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of CreativeLive from March 3-5, 2014 among 2,112 adults ages 18 and older.

“We are facing a massive — and growing — creativity crisis,” says CreativeLive Co-Founder Chase Jarvis. “When over 51 million employed Americans want to leave their jobs to pursue a more creative career, we have jarring evidence that our existing education and work systems are broken.”

Particularly of note: millennials, aged 18-34, are most likely to prioritize careers that allow them to make a positive social impact. According to the Creative Jobs Report, 31% of employed millennials report that working with creative people is very important to them. Additionally, 35% of employed millennials say that having a job that makes a positive social impact is very important to them, compared to just 19% of employed adults aged 35 and up. The study also finds that employed millennials (24%) are almost twice as likely as those aged 45-64 (14%) to take online classes to augment their careers, indicating a rising cultural trend in skill-based learning among the growing younger workforce.

“These findings underscore the increasing importance of creativity in professional pursuits, and reflect the need for high quality, online courses to help people achieve their dreams,” said Mika Salmi, CEO of CreativeLive. “We’re honored, now more than ever, to provide the tools Americans need in order to create the life they want.”

In examining gender, it appears men are leading the charge when it comes to seeking out creativity in the workplace. 23% of employed men say they want to find a job that allows them to be more creative than the one they have now, as opposed to 14% of women.

For the full Creative Jobs Report, please go to: http://blog.creativelive.com/creative-jobs-report/

Since its launch in 2010, CreativeLive has produced over 1 billion minutes of free quality educational content. CreativeLive’s engagement statistics are even more impressive: the average viewer watches an impressive 6.3 hours a month. The platform has served more than 2 million students in over 200 countries.

To learn more about CreativeLive, please visit: http://creativelive.com/

About the survey:

This survey was conducted online within the United States between March 3-5, 2014 among 2,112 adults (among whom 1,120 are employed) ages 18 and older by Harris Poll on behalf of CreativeLive. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact: CreativeLive@sutherlandgold.com.

About CreativeLive:

CreativeLive is setting a new standard for education by connecting a live, dynamic community of individuals with the world’s top experts. Using a scalable freemium model, CreativeLive is transforming the $100 billion continuing education market by offering frictionless access to the best teachers in the world through a social video platform. The company was founded in April 2010 by world-renowned photographer, director, and artist Chase Jarvis and entrepreneur Craig Swanson. The company is led by CEO Mika Salmi, backed by Greylock Partners and Social+Capital Partnership, and broadcasts from four state-of-the-art production studios in Seattle and San Francisco.

1 Calculated 2013 CPS (Current Population Survey, a Census publication)

Contacts

SutherlandGold Group
Ashley Thompson, 415-848-7177
athompson@sutherlandgold.com

Release Summary

CreativeLive today released the results of the inaugural Creative Jobs Report, shedding new light onto current American attitudes and behaviors toward creativity in the workplace.

Contacts

SutherlandGold Group
Ashley Thompson, 415-848-7177
athompson@sutherlandgold.com