Young professionals in Britain are 'abandoning big companies' in favour of 'less conventional' working environments

Many young people reportedly feel their work lacks a clear sense of purpose

London's financial district, known as the Square Mile (Getty)

Large companies are struggling to compete with jobs offering a "less conventional" work environment, according to a new study which suggests many young people are looking to switch careers.

Escape the City surveyed 1,000 young professionals and found that half of them did not see themselves continuing to work for the company they were currently employed by.

The organisation, which helps young, unfulfilled people find new careers, said those surveyed felt their work lacked a clear sense of purpose, and that they had physical and mental health issues as a result of their job.

Dom Jackman, co-founder of Escape the City, told Quartz magazine: "The world of work is changing dramatically – people are just not satisfied with the status quo any longer.

"It's no longer the case that joining a big company is the only option – there are an abundance of opportunities out there that give people a feel-good factor they just don’t get at a big company."

According to the report, consultancy firm Accenture topped the list of companies young employees wanted to "escape from", followed by Big Four accounting and consultancy firms Ernst & Young, KPMH, PWC and Deloitte.

The ones they wanted to join included home-rental company Airbnb, the taxi app Uber, and drinks company Vita Coco which produces coconut water.

Top 10 companies to 'escape' - according to Escape the City

Accenture

Ernst & Young

PWC

Deloitte

KPMG

Deutshe Bank

IBM

Citi

Morgan Stanley

Goldman Sachs

Top companies to join - according to Escape the City

Airbnb

Uber

Virgin Galactic

Vita Coco

Pact Coffee

Kiva

Crowdcube

Graze

Tough Mudder

Charity Water

Last week it was revealed that hundreds of thousands of young people in Britain are being encouraged into low-pay, on-the-job training schemes to meet ministers’ “mad” target of creating three million apprenticeships by 2020.

The Government was also forced to deny "penalising" young people with plans to force them to attend a "boot camp" if they are unable to find work.

With 85 of per cent of young people in work or training, the new scheme would affect as many as 15 per cent.