35,000 Reasons to Keep Your Best People
No Growth? No Loyalty.
min
Two in five UK employees quit because they don’t see a future with their current employer and this lack of career development consistently ranks among the top five reasons for leaving - when people can’t grow, they go.
And the cost of that decision? Around £35,000 per employee in lost productivity, recruitment, and onboarding. Despite this steep price, many organisations still overlook career development as a key retention lever.
The solution: empower employees to become career activists - people who actively shape their professional journey. That starts with visible, meaningful internal opportunities and employers need to be proactive in creating these opportunities and supporting their talent in their aspirations.
Career Development Drives Results
Supporting internal mobility and growth leads to 41% higher retention. Why? Because employees who feel supported in their development:
- Gain and apply new skills
- Work harder and smarter
- Show initiative and innovation
- Commit more to outcomes
- Take fewer sick days.
Add structured support like career coaching, and you can reenergise disengaged employees, increasing engagement by 30% and productivity by 70%.
Retention Is a Business-Wide Issue
63% of HR leaders report that retention challenges impact every level from early careers to executives.
Unchecked attrition leads to role creep with remaining team members absorbing the responsibilities of those who leave. While this can re-engage some, it more often leads to burnout and unwanted responsibilities, driving further attribution and widening critical skills gaps.
With 64% of employees saying they’d stay if internal opportunities were available, the path to stronger retention is clear. Despite this, 86% don’t believe they have meaningful career development where they work and 47% are regularly browsing external job boards, suggesting almost half the workforce have one foot out of the door.
Managers: The Missing Link in Career Development and Mobility
Even though employees want to explore job vacancies from within, many managers default to hiring from outside.
Why? Often, they fear losing top team members and lack the confidence or training to talk about career paths with their team.
The result: opportunity stalls, and talent walks out the door.
Support Managers to be Career Guides
66% of HR leaders know managers are key to keeping talent. And 41% of employees say their manager’s support is the #1 factor in their career growth.
But disengagement among managers is rising, dropping from 30% to 27% according to Gallup, with a further 5% fall for the under-35s. Managers are also employees and want career development too. Equip them with the tools to become career enablers: helping their teams grow, guiding conversations, and creating internal pathways that keep top performers engaged.
Gen Z Wants Purpose – or They’ll Walk
Career development isn’t a “nice-to-have” for Gen Z, it’s non-negotiable. While those new in their career are more likely to explore different options, they want support. Around 80% will consider leaving if they don’t see clear paths for career growth. This generation is key to your future leadership and agility, but only if you keep them engaged and supported. Lose them, and you lose them, and you lose both momentum and tomorrow’s leaders.
Skills Over Titles: A Smarter Mobility Mindset
Today, skills matter more than job titles. A skills-first approach enables faster upskilling, smarter redeployment, and better use of in-house talent.
Forward-looking leaders are already mapping out future skills, investing in training, and creating visible career paths. Internal mobility isn’t just about moving up - lateral shifts across functions can offer better work-life alignment or personal growth without a promotion.
Employees are ready. 90% plan to upskill in 2025. If you don’t offer pathways, a competitor will.
Career Development Pays Off
When you invest in structured programmes such as career coaching, line manager training, you’re not just supporting employees, you’re strengthening your bottom line:
- 77% increase in loyalty after career coaching
- 30% rise in engagement
- 70% boost in productivity in coaching-rich teams
- 41% higher retention with internal mobility strategies.
Your employees want growth and they’re willing to leave to get it. Give them a reason to stay, grow, and contribute more.