Around 88 per cent of communications professionals are open to leaving their role within the next 12 months, according to the ‘Comms Search & Selection Market Report 2026’.
Max Forsyth, managing director and founder of Comms Search & Selection, pointed out that the number encompasses both those actively looking and those who are content at their current employer but could be swayed by the right offer. “Nonetheless this poses a significant retention risk to employers, and communications and corporate affairs leaders,” he told In.Comms.
He stated that this is a worry for the sector as it comes “despite a background of a pretty flat economy and weak jobs data”, with the data suggesting that a large driver of this willingness to move is a perceived lack of opportunities for career advancement. Under half of the respondents (49 per cent) said they believe there is a clear path for people of their background to advance into leadership. “This is the single greatest area of risk, as ambitious and high-performing talent will inevitably leave to find clearer progression elsewhere,” the report said.
Overall, only 31 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the advancement opportunities in their current job, the lowest rate of any category. Meanwhile 35 per cent were dissatisfied with their advancement opportunities, the highest rate of dissatisfaction of any category. The high dissatisfaction and high neutrality rates both point to a “failure in succession planning and internal mobility”.
According to the report, which canvassed the opinions of more than 1,000 in-house professionals from both the UK and the US, these numbers suggest a “potential disconnect where employees feel comfortable and included” at their current level, but perceive “structural barriers or a lack of equitable opportunity when it comes to advancing into senior leadership”.
The report speculates that companies may need to “focus more on transparent and equitable succession planning and career development programmes, particularly as they relate to fostering diverse leadership”.
“With relatively lean communications teams and many chief communications officers and communications leaders holding onto seats, the perceived lack of clear advancement opportunities is leading to frustration,” Forsyth said. “It is imperative then for CCOs and business leaders to look carefully at how they can retain and keep their top communications talent engaged.”
Away from career advancement, 58 per cent of respondents were satisfied with their compensation, but a notable minority said they were dissatisfied (22 per cent).
Though compensation was declared as satisfactory for most, the one-in-five dissatisfaction rate suggests, according to the analysis, that “while pay is competitive enough to avoid a crisis, there may be internal equity issues or a feeling that the pay does not fully reflect the current market value or performance contribution of that dissatisfied segment”.
Furthermore, an analysis of hybrid working patterns reveals a notable disconnect between the work arrangements required by employers and those preferred by professionals, particularly concerning the number of days spent in the office. A clear majority of professionals who prefer a hybrid model opt for the lighter end: more than half (55 per cent) prefer a hybrid approach with one or two days in-office. In contrast, 44 per cent of respondents are required to attend the office for three or more days.
“I believe we are on course for a big collision between employees and employers over expected days of office attendance,” concluded Forsyth. “In the employers market we are currently in, they are likely to be the winners in 2026, but when the economy and job market improves and professionals have more hybrid options available expect lots of moves to more flexible employers.”