Career Growth Key to Business Resilience: Right Management

With nearly 40% of today’s skills expected to become obsolete within five years, companies face growing pressure to make career development a core business strategy rather than an optional benefit. Right Management, part of the ManpowerGroup, released its 2025 State of Careers report, “The Career Imperative: Why Employee Growth Is the Smart Bet for Business Resilience,” urging organizations to rethink how they support employee growth amid rapid workplace change.

The research highlights a widening gap between employees’ ambitions and the support companies provide. According to the study, four in 10 employees lack a defined career plan, and only 4% have a clearly documented path. Meanwhile, just one in five employees say their manager helps map out a career trajectory, and only 15% receive clear guidance from their organizations.

“Career support is too often treated as an event, not a journey,” says Caroline Pfeiffer, Senior Vice President and Global Business Leader for Talent Solutions, Right Management. “Employees need space to test new roles and skills, while organizations require engaged and aligned teams to thrive.”

The report identifies several trends reshaping workforce development, including AI-driven transformation, skills-based hiring, and evolving work models. It also shows that employee learning preferences are shifting, with workers favoring mentoring, internal mobility, and sponsored courses over static training programs. Yet awareness of available opportunities remains low, as only 35% of employees know what development programs exist within their organizations.

Right Management’s findings emphasize that traditional career ladders are giving way to skill-based structures and dynamic career navigation platforms, which are already being adopted by leading employers. “Across Europe and the world, organizations are facing rapid transformation: from AI disruption to shifting workforce expectations,” says Barbera de Graaf, Senior Vice President, Right Management Europe. “To stay competitive, companies must move beyond traditional career planning and adopt on-the-job learning and coaching as strategic tools.”

As the workplace continues to evolve, Right Management calls on organizations to replace rigid hierarchies with flexible career pathways, empower managers to act as career navigators, and integrate AI as a strategic partner in workforce development. By embedding learning in the flow of work, Right Management argues, companies can close the skills gap and build more adaptable, future-ready teams.