Majority of Britons Giving Up Career Dreams Due to Economic Reality

The economic conditions borne of the current recession are forcing British job seekers to grab whatever roles they can, instead of chasing their dream job.

According to new research conducted by uSwitch.com, an independent price comparison service, 77 percent of Britons have given up hope of pursuing their ideal position.

Although more than half of those surveyed [51 percent] agreed that satisfaction was the most important thing to look for in a job, cash constraints and family obligations are forcing them to be more pragmatic.

Only six percent of respondents told the survey that they were in their dream career. Over one in four [28 percent] said they have had to let their dream career pass, citing a range of reasons from having a baby to lack of job security, and the need for a higher salary.

According to the uSwitch study, just five percent are ready to sacrifice financial security for a dream job at present.

However, it appears that many Britons would consider having another tilt at their dream job in the future, with 35 percent of respondents saying they would be ready to sacrifice benefits such as health and life insurance should the perfect opportunity arise. Another 21 percent said they would be willing to give up high salary for a dream job.

The UK's unemployment levels are forecast to remain high for the next five years, according to a recent study by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR).

"The outlook is tough for UK households, particularly those in places with a high dependency on public sector employment. Family budgets are being squeezed between the pressures of rising unemployment, low earnings growth and stubbornly high inflation," said the CEBR in a statement in May.

Another set of data from the Office of the National Statistics puts the unemployment rate for May at 8.2 percent.