At a time when layoffs, low hiring rates, and a culture of mass applying have contributed to a frenzied job market, taking a career break could be one of your riskiest decisions.
But what if it ends up being the best?
Government data shows that while career breaks are relatively common — those trying to return to work make up around 30% of unemployed Americans — reentering the workforce isn't always straightforward. In a 2026 study published in Labour Economics, 163 recruiters in Belgium were asked whether they would interview or hire a hypothetical candidate who'd taken a career break. The likelihood generally decreased with each month the candidate spent out of work.
To the six people who spoke to Business Insider about stepping back from work the risk yielded great results. They either bounced back into their industries or found alternative pathways into new and exciting careers. One was able to build a new business while taking the trip of a lifetime in South America. Another fulfilled her life's greatest achievement: caring for her dying parents.
Read their stories, in their own words, below:
Charissa Cheong is a senior first-person reporter on Business Insider's Business Contributors and Freelance team, based in London. She covers: Relocation and immigration, how employment visas impact careers, what it’s like working at the world’s biggest companies or alongside its most prominent leaders, how the AI revolution is affecting professionals, and more. Charissa’s work spans a wide range of topics, but the unifying thread is first-person storytelling — sharing people’s unique career and life experiences in their own voice, with their own words. She writes in Business Insider’s signature “As-told-to” format, which is designed to highlight powerful perspectives in a conversational way. She also commissions and edits personal essays from freelance writers and contributors. Charissa joined Business Insider in 2022 on the digital culture desk, covering family vlogging, online harassment, and influencer culture. She moved to the contributors and freelance team in 2024.She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA in English and holds a gold standard NCTJ Level 5 journalism diploma.
