Disengaged, disgruntled employees are still threatening to desert their current employer en masse as they seek to chuck in their job and start a new career.

Research by recruitment company monster.co.uk finds nearly a quarter (24%) of staff plan to up-sticks and begin a completely different career.

The revelation follows exclusive research by HR magazine and graduate recruiter Freshminds, which last autumn found a similar number of staff said they regretted their career choice and would seek something new.

Monster asked nearly 5,000 employees what they thought about their career prospects for 2010. Only a fifth said they felt optimistic about 2010, while nearly half (46%) said they thought their career prospects were extremely gloomy.