With job openings and turnover soaring in the labor market, organizations must prioritize retaining the talent they already have. However, new research from Gartner shows that only 33% of employees seeking a new role looked internally at their own employer first. Three inequities are driving empl...

Most employees don’t think of their own organizations when they’re looking for a new opportunity.

Three main barriers that discourage employees from applying internally:

• Awareness
• Access
• Support

It can be easier to learn about opportunities at a competitor. Gartner analysis reveals only 51% of candidates are aware of available internal job openings, which are often communicated informally. This “tap the shoulder” approach gives the advantage to employees with stronger social connections ...

Even when employees are aware of a job opening, they may not believe they have access to it. The top barrier is the perception that another employee is already favored for the role. Organizations and managers often prioritize opportunities for high-potential talent. Of candidates who focused thei...

Employees don’t feel supported in pursuing internal roles by their managers, peers, or the organization as a whole. According to Gartner research, only 17% of employees feel their manager facilitates the process of applying for internal job openings, and only 20% feel supported by their peers and...

Organizations should start treating employees as they do potential external candidates. In-demand talent receive multiple notices every day from organizations trying to hire for open roles, yet employers don’t do this with their current employees.

While internal job boards are a good start,...

Internal job platforms should also allow employees to signal which roles they are interested in, whether or not they’re available at the moment. This can both keep employees from missing opportunities and help HR leaders ascertain interest in and the quality of the internal pipeline for a particu...

the internal labor market does not work fairly for everyone. Women are 55% more likely than men to say they were not aware of internal job ope...

While most organizations have goal-setting processes to chart in-role growth, progressive organizations work to surface employees’ aspirations beyond their current position or job trajectory. They provide career coaches or mentors who work with employees to uncover their interests, passions, and ...

Applying for an internal job can feel like cheating on a partner. This discomfort is made worse by policies that force employees to tell managers before they apply. External jobs avoid this discomfort entirely.