Career Positivity Linked with Happiness, but Targeted Support Needed for Those Facing Barriers, Research Finds

The Career Development Institute (CDI), the professional body for career development in the UK, today launches the results of comprehensive research commissioned as part of its wider Valuing Careers campaign which aims to deepen awareness of the value career development provides for individuals, the economy and society. The launch coincides with presentation of the research at an event in the House of Lords, organised by the Career Development Policy Group (CDPG) and Policy Connect, under the theme “Unlocking Potential: How Careers Guidance Can Fuel Economic Growth.”

Based on a YouGov survey of 5,004 UK working-age adults, commissioned by the CDI, the research highlights the need for all-age careers guidance to enable people to have fulfilling careers and contribute to the UK’s growth agenda. 

David Morgan, Chief Executive of the CDI, said: “This research deepens our understanding of people’s view of their careers and the support they need. There are key areas where we need to do more as a profession, working with governments and other stakeholders. We need more young people to leave education with career management skills and a better understanding of where they can get support throughout their careers, and we need to shift perceptions of career development away from being something you only get as a young person. 

“We need to address the drop in career positivity as the population gets older and provide more targeted support for that 20-30% who are struggling yet can’t see the potential of seeking help with their careers. 

“There is much to be positive about in the research, yet also much for us still to do to ensure every young person and adult receives the professional, impartial and informed careers support that they deserve, and through doing so, help grow the economy and strengthen society.” 

66% of people surveyed were positive about their career to date, and they were almost twice as likely to be happy about their current life as people who weren’t. However, while positivity about life remains fairly constant over time, positivity about career prospects declines from 71% for 18-24-year-olds to only 33% for 55-65-year-olds. 

Over three-quarters of adults have career aspirations, such as increasing pay, improving work-life balance, and building knowledge or skills. These are among the more achievable goals, whereas those who aspired to work abroad, become self-employed or find fulfilling work were the least likely to achieve their goals. 

Despite 80% of people facing one or more barriers to achieving those goals, only 15% of people said they had received professional careers support since leaving secondary or tertiary education – from government-funded careers services, private careers practitioners or those funded by employers. Yet the benefits are clear. 86% of those who received professional careers support reported one or more benefits and 82% would recommend the service to others. 

In comparison, support from Jobcentre Plus was rated significantly lower – with only 56% stating a benefit and 48% likely to recommend them. This underlines the need to recognise that the roles of the employability and careers services are complementary but different. 

The CDI’s analysis found that 62% of those surveyed thought they would gain from receiving careers support, far higher than the 15% who have sought help. But there is a lack of awareness and understanding of the role of career development, with only 14% of people being very clear on what it could offer them. 30% also said they wouldn’t know where to find careers support and only 38% of people had heard of their public careers service – though this was higher in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, only 12% of people rejected the idea that careers support could help them. 

Most worryingly, around 20-30% of those surveyed face systemic barriers that prevent them seeking help with their careers, despite having most to gain. These are people who have low education outcomes, low incomes, low self-confidence, are less engaged with managing their careers and are the least likely to see how a career development professional can help them. The more barriers they face, the less likely they are to seek support. They will need additional focus to encourage them to engage with the support available. 

Stephen Plimmer, Research Manager at the CDI, said: ”This research provides insight into the scale of the opportunities for career guidance, which is valuable not just for the CDI’s campaign but for many aspects of wider policy. Helping people to achieve their aspirations and overcome barriers will not only improve career fulfilment but also support the wider economy. This could be by encouraging people to develop new skills, or by supporting people to make career transitions to sectors with skill gaps. 

“The full report is now available online, and we will be making the underlying data available to other researchers looking at careers-related topics, to further support the profession.” 

The CDI’s recommendations to address the gaps in career support identified by the research are detailed in the report and include: 

• Implementing a Career Guidance Guarantee for young people and adults, as advocated by the CDPG. 
• Increasing awareness and understanding of career development services, particularly those facing systemic barriers. 
• Integrating career management skills during education to prepare individuals for lifelong career development.