Signal Career progression concern splits by generation and by industry structure

Summary

McKinsey finds that worries about limited career progression are not evenly spread. Younger employees, who need clear development pathways, feel the gap most, with 50 percent of millennials reporting it as a concern against 38 percent of baby boomers. Industry structure matters too, with concern elevated in strongly hierarchical sectors such as advanced industries at 50 percent, banking at 49 percent, and energy and materials at 48 percent. By contrast, the public sector at 38 percent and education at 42 percent report comparatively lower concern. The pattern suggests that organizations with steep hierarchies and young workforces face the greatest pressure to redesign career paths.