Questions on likelihood to leave the profession, and why, have appeared in the CDI's #CDIBigListen sector survey since 2021, with the latest results showing that 23% of careers professionals are likely or very likely to leave the profession within the next two years. Retirement is the main driver (46% of those likely to leave, up from 33% in 2021) followed by pay and rewards (16%, down from 40% in 2021).
A growing driver of dissent is stress or health issues related to the job, up from 3% to 8%.
The next survey covering this area will be held over winter 2023/24.
As a member of the Careers England recruitment and retention taskforce, the CDI supported additional research among Careers England members and those organisations' employees. While this also showed 23% of staff being likely to leave the profession, employer attitudes were more negative, expecting up to 38% attrition.
Poor pay and limited development opportunities were key reasons cited for being likely to leave the profession, with 62.5% of employers saying they aren't able to pay a salary that reflects the skills, qualifications and experience of their staff.
The report highlighted the growing concern among careers service providers about the risks to their profession and longer-term business sustainability brought about by difficulties faced in recruiting new talent and retaining existing talent.
Claire Johnson, CDI Head of Professional Development & Standards and Caroline Green from Ask The Talent Cycle led a webinar exploring the challenges facing the career development profession in attracting and retaining talent.