The formula that defined a generation of career advice is breaking down.
New data from the Bank of America Institute reveals the starkest generational divide in the labor market in years — and it cuts directly against the career gospel that defined the last decade. Job switchers saw their after-tax wages grow just 8% year-over-year in Q1 2026, compared to 5% for workers who stayed put. That 3-point gap is the smallest it has been in seven years. At the peak of the Great Resignation in 2022, that same gap was nearly 11 points, with switchers pulling almost 18% wage growth while stayers settled for 7%.
