A recent career story of one professional woman has sparked active discussions on social media regarding a new trend in the corporate world. The woman stated that over five years she changed four jobs, and her annual income grew from 500 thousand rupees to approximately 3 million rupees.
On her Instagram account, a woman named Shrishi Choudhary shared her experience, noting that her salary doubled upon the first job change. Subsequent moves provided increases ranging from 30 to 50 percent.
However, the question arises whether changing jobs is the only or correct way to increase salary. To explore this topic, we examine data from the 'Foundit' report and opinions from HR management experts.
According to the 'foundit Appraisal Trends Report 2025,' which involved 5108 specialists nationwide, the results were quite telling. Although 74% of employees received a raise in 2024-25, most of these raises were only between 5 and 10 percent. Despite receiving a raise, about 85-86 percent of workers stated their intention to look for a new position.
The most surprising aspect was that many employees who received a significant raise of 15-20 percent or more still plan to change jobs. This suggests that people strive for transitions not only for money but also for improved work culture, career growth, and acquiring new responsibilities.
Market experts believe that when an employee receives an annual review within the company, their salary is determined by the internal budget and strict organizational policies. In contrast, when a company hires a new external candidate, they are offered a salary corresponding to the market rate and current demand within the hiring budget.
This is why a job change usually allows for an easy increase of 20-35 percent, which significantly exceeds the internal raise (5-10 percent).
Those who expect to constantly change jobs to receive a 40 or 50 percent increase every year should reconsider. HR specialists and recruiters have become very cautious about this phenomenon. Ashish Dhawan, Managing Partner at NGS Global India, notes that having multiple short employment periods on a resume raises suspicion among recruiters.
Ashish emphasizes that especially in fields like sales, if a person leaves a company after 10-12 months, questions arise about their performance. If a person performed well, why would they leave without bonuses? Many large and reputable companies have very strict rules. They do not increase the old candidate's package by more than 20 percent, regardless of their qualifications. Therefore, expecting a 40-50 percent increase every time is unrealistic.
Arindam Mukerji, Co-founder and CEO of NextLeap, believes that constantly changing jobs solely for income increase is a flawed strategy. The real benefit comes when your skills and responsibilities grow along with the new job. Currently, companies pay attention not only to the previous company name but also to the specific achievements you demonstrated in the previous role.
If a person changes companies without improving their abilities and skills, their salary will certainly increase, but their career growth will stall. Changing jobs can be a quick way to boost salary, but it is not a magic shortcut. The key to a long career is continuous skill upgrading alongside salary increases to maintain market value.
