What do early careers professionals really want from their career?
While early careers employees see competitive pay and flexibility as baseline expectations, what they truly want is clear and purposeful career progression.
April 8, 2026 - 3:06 PM
Progression signals that careers matter
LHH’s new Building future talent that stays and performs research reveals that nearly a third (32%) of early careers employees say that having a clear career progression within their current employer would demonstrate that their development matters to their organisation.
This is not simply about promotions, it’s about employers actively engaging with them and identifying their career ambitions. Organisations need to be seen to support the development of their employees by mapping out what internal career opportunities there are that align with both their personal development goals and those of the business.
82% of early careers employees say that they would be more likely to stay with their current organisation if they had access to more career development support. And where employers do offer this, 94% of employees who receive career development support say they find it personally beneficial to them.
The career conversation gap
Despite early careers employees seeking career growth and responding positively to it when they get it, many are still waiting for the opportunity to talk about their development aspirations with their line manager.
Our research shows that 44% say they are comfortable discussing their career with their manager but have not yet had that conversation. This is a clear miss for organisations that want to actively engage with their early careers employees and reveals a gap between what they want and what they are getting.
We believe that career development conversations should not be one-off yearly events tied to annual performance reviews. These provide no benefit to the employee and can actually harm their perception of the organisation if it is seen as a tick box exercise rather than actual investment in them.
For meaningful career development, line managers and employees should have regular ongoing career conversations with clear goals and outcomes. Actively investing in line manager training to enable them to have career development conversations with their team, supported by a culture of internal career opportunities, will enable employees to feel empowered to take control of their career with the support of their employer to explore internal opportunities.
The risk of lost potential
28% of early careers professionals surveyed say they do not see a clear or realistic path for progression within their current organisation. This is an obvious missed opportunity especially now when the suppressed job market is keeping many employees in place, but when economic conditions do improve, employers may see valuable talent exit the business quickly.
Our research indicates that early careers professionals are clearly motivated to drive their career forward and are looking to their employer to help achieve this. It’s also clear that if they feel like they are not getting the support they need, they will move to organisations who can offer them this.
With the current economic environment causing early career professionals to stay in their role, now is the time for employers to proactively engage with these employees and develop internal career plans and strengthen its talent’s long-term retention.
Early careers employees are motivated to grow. When organisations actively support that ambition, progression becomes more than a career benefit.
Building future talent that stays and performs research
This insight and stats are taken from LHH’s new career development research.