More than a quarter of workers are planning to change the direction of their career in the next five years, research has indicated.

A survey of 2,030 adults found that of those who are currently working, 26 per cent wish to embark on a new career path. The research by Invest in Cornwall, a regional development project, found that, of these, 24 per cent wished to fulfil long-term ambitions, 23 per cent were dissatisfied in their current role and 23 per cent wanted to earn more money. Only 5 per cent said that they were looking to change jobs because they feared redundancy in the near future.

The findings come as figures published today by the House of Commons library showed that average hourly wages in Britain have fallen by 5.5 per cent since mid-2010, adjusted for inflation — one of the worst declines in the European Union.

Extrapolating from the survey’s findings, 1.8 million people in Britain are aiming to start their own business in the next five years. About 10 per cent of would-be entrepreneurs plan to focus on opportunities in the professional and scientific industries.