WORKERS in the future will have 19 different jobs in their lifetime as people increasingly change careers, a new report has predicted.

Research for the vocational award body City & Guilds estimated the number of employees planning to swap occupations for a new job will double by the year 2025 to five million.

It also showed that the development of online education will make it easier for people to re-train for a new career while in their current job.

Rising life expectancy and pension under-funding will also have a significant impact as people decide to work longer, said the report.

Some people, such as postal workers, milkmen and estate agents, might also be influenced by uncertainty over the prospect of their jobs continuing in the future, it was claimed.

Average UK employees starting work in 20 years' time will have 19 different jobs during their working life, it was predicted.

The number of people with two or more jobs will also double over the next two decades to 2.4 million, the research suggested.

Chris Humphries, director general at City & Guilds, said: "A job for life has long gone and in the future it will be commonplace for a professional such as an architect to hold down a job as, say, a chef, at the same time.

"This won't be considered as moonlighting but simply pursuing two careers simultaneously. The trend for job and career diversity will grow considerably and employers can expect to see CVs landing on their desks from candidates who possess a broad range of skills.

"This will inevitably mean companies start to judge potential employees on their transferable skills rather than just their sector experience. As a result it will become increasingly important for individuals to extend their skills so that they can compete with other candidates." Tweet