In today’s competitive job market, retaining top talent is more challenging than ever, and well-defined career paths play a crucial role in keeping employees engaged and committed to their organisation.
Employee retention is one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today. High turnover disrupts productivity, increases hiring costs, and leads to the loss of valuable institutional knowledge.
There are several reasons for high staff turnover, such as working conditions, dissatisfaction with management, and pay, but lack of career advancement opportunities is a major factor.
According to LinkedIn, 93% of organizations are concerned with employee retention, yet many organisations are not addressing this issue by promoting internal mobility.
Just 15% of employees say their organisation encouraged them to move to a new role, while only 14% had been encouraged to build a new career development plan.
Employees want to know they have a future within their organisation, and internal mobility is key to this. When career progression feels uncertain or unattainable, they are more likely to look elsewhere for opportunities. CIPD research found that three in ten UK employees leave their roles within the first year, with a lack of career development being a key driver.
Career development is also linked to some of the other drivers of staff churn. For example, clearly mapped career paths help employees see a way to progress from current roles, easing concerns around pay.
Career pathing provides a roadmap, helping employees see how they can progress within the organisation, which increases motivation and reduces attrition.
After two years in a role, an employee who has made internal advancement is almost 20% more likely to stay with the organisation than one who hasn’t.
Career pathing plays a crucial role in employee engagement. It provides a roadmap for professional growth,helping employees see a clear future within the organisation. When employees know their potential career paths, they are likely to feel more motivated and committed to their roles.
Employees understand how their current role fits into their long-term career, increasing motivation and commitment.
A career path should show employees the demands and requirements of each role in the potential path, so they know the demands of the job and the progression criteria for moving from one job to the next.
This includes the scope, responsibilities, and requirements (such as knowledge, skills, and competencies). Employees should be aware of the types of skills required and the required proficiency for potential progression.
This feeds into career development, and the need to equip employees with new skills and knowledge that allows them to take on more responsibilities and engage in more rewarding work. It is also why employers see the provision of learning opportunities as the main method of increasing staff retention.
A strong career pathing strategy helps to create this culture of continuous learning. Employees who see growth opportunities are more likely to stay, reducing turnover. As a result, morale and job satisfaction improve. Employees also feel valued and invested in by their employer, strengthening their connection to the organisation.
A strong career pathing strategy doesn’t just benefit employees; it also helps organisations become more agile by enabling redeployment in response to changing business needs.
By mapping internal career pathways, companies can:
An organisation's skills strategy plays a vital role in career pathing by providing visibility into workforce skills, enabling the creation of more advanced career paths.
A skills framework provides a structured, data-driven approach to defining job roles, skill requirements, and career progression opportunities. By mapping skills and proficiency levels across different roles, organisations can create career pathways that align with business needs and employee aspirations.
Detailed skills data shows the type of skills and the level of proficiency for each skill, allowing organisations to map more sophisticated and dynamic career routes.
This enables vertical and lateral career paths and increases organisational resilience to change, as internal mobility can be based on skills rather than qualifications or tenure.
Implementing more advanced career pathing requires a solid foundation, with centralised and standardised job descriptions and job data, and a well-defined job architecture.
Many organisations struggle with fragmented job data, where job titles, descriptions, and progression opportunities lack consistency.
For more advanced career pathing, which identifies the full range of opportunities for internal mobility, a view of skills across an organisation, with detailed data on proficiencies and consistent description of skills, is vital.
Although some of this work can theoretically be done manually, it is resource-heavy and time-consuming. Technology accelerates the creation of skills frameworks, streamlines job description management, and strengthens career pathing.
With retention a key concern for many organisations, career pathing and employee development help organisations address key causes of staff turnover.
Career pathing also helps to build a more engaged, motivated, and skilled workforce, which is ready to adapt to change where required. Businesses can benefit through the retention of top talent, lower hiring costs, and improved stability.
RoleMapper's Skills Innovation Partnership can help enable the development of advanced career paths through greater visibility of skills.
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