A new Rice University study finds that flexibility — not salary — is now the top priority for Houston-area workers, many of whom are eyeing new career paths.
With national job data delayed amid federal budget uncertainty, the latest survey from Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research shows that workers aren’t waiting for Washington to act — they’re already planning their next move.
An estimated half a million people across the Greater Houston area expect to change careers within the next five years, according to the survey of nearly 9,000 residents in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties. The report offers a revealing look at what local workers value most — and how those priorities are shifting in an unpredictable labor market.
“People consider many factors when thinking about the job they want, but when asked what was most important, work-life balance was key,” said Daniel Potter, director of the Houston Population Research Center, who co-authored the study with research analyst Dylan Simburger.
Nearly one in three respondents said a flexible work-life balance was the single most important factor when considering a job — surpassing salary, job security and advancement opportunities.
“Pay is important to people as well, but these results point to how increasingly people want to work to live and not live to work,” Simburger said.
About half of local workers said they view their current job as a career, while roughly 30% described it as just a job. Despite those divides, nearly nine in ten respondents reported being at least moderately satisfied with their current position.
The study also revealed that 18% of workers — roughly half a million people — say it’s very or extremely likely they’ll change careers within five years. That kind of movement could reshape Houston’s economy, creating both challenges and opportunities for employers, educators and job training programs.
“Advancing technologies and evolving sectors mean the economy of today will almost certainly be different in the years ahead,” Potter said. “In the midst of that change, about 1 in 5 workers not only expects to change jobs, they expect to change careers.”
The findings come from the Greater Houston Community Panel, a long-term study that tracks how local residents live, work and engage with their communities, providing timely insights to inform policy and planning across the region.
“Being able to hear and learn from residents in this quickly changing economic landscape is so important for understanding the processes underway in the Houston region, and the impacts these processes have on the lives of millions of residents. The GHCP is an incredible tool and resource that allows us to have a real-time view of what is happening,” concluded Potter.
The full report is available here.