Q4 2025 Workforce Trends Employers Need to Know
The labor market may be cooling, but employee mobility is far from disappearing.
TRC Talent Solutions’ Q4 2025 Pulse of the Workforce Survey shows that while fewer employed workers are actively job hunting than a year ago, more than half are still open to making a move. The reason is not fear or dissatisfaction. It is confidence, opportunity, and unmet expectations around growth.
Job Seeking Is Slowing, But Pressure Remains
Job seeking among employed workers declined from 59% in Q4 2024 to 54% in Q4 2025, reflecting a gradual slowdown in active job search behavior. Over the course of 2025, that figure eased from 64% in Q1 to 54% in Q4.
Despite this cooling trend, mobility remains elevated. More than half of today’s workforce still says they are open to switching roles, signaling that retention risk has shifted, not disappeared. Employers should not confuse slower movement with stronger loyalty.
Career Stage Shapes Job-Seeking Behavior
One of the most revealing insights from the Q4 data is how job-seeking varies by tenure.
-
Early-career workers (0–5 years): 59% are seeking new opportunities, yet 82% would recommend their employer. This group shows strong confidence and optimism, with moderate mobility.
-
Mid-career workers (6–15 years): 57–58% are seeking new roles, and 78% would recommend their employer. This segment appears relatively stable but remains open to the right opportunity.
-
Late-career workers (16+ years): 66% are actively seeking new employment, while only 71% would recommend their employer. This group shows the highest mobility and declining loyalty, making them a critical retention risk.
Experience, not dissatisfaction, is driving movement. Highly tenured professionals are confident in the market and willing to explore what else is available.
Job Security Is Not Driving Turnover
The data clearly challenges outdated assumptions about why people leave.
-
86% of workers feel secure in their current job
-
77% would recommend their employer
Yet 54% are still exploring new opportunities. This confirms that employees are not leaving because they feel unsafe or unhappy. They are leaving because they believe better options exist — particularly around advancement, compensation, and long-term growth.
Why Employees Leave and Why They Stay
The gap between attraction and retention is where employers should focus.
Employees say they leave primarily for:
-
Career growth (48%)
-
Better pay (42%)
But they stay for:
-
Competitive compensation (40%)
-
Flexibility (34%)
-
Leadership (15%)
-
Culture (11%)
This disconnect highlights a strategic challenge. Many organizations are paying competitively but failing to provide visible growth paths, internal mobility, and flexible work structures that signal a future worth staying for.
The Question Employers Must Answer
The Q4 Pulse Survey raises a critical question for leadership teams: Are you creating the growth your employees are leaving to find?
As expectations for hybrid and flexible work continue to rise, internal development opportunities are no longer optional. Compensation opens the door, but growth, leadership, and flexibility determine whether employees see a future inside your organization or start looking elsewhere.
How TRC Talent Solutions Helps
At TRC Talent Solutions, we use real-time workforce intelligence to help organizations plan for churn before it happens. Our approach connects hiring strategy, retention planning, and workforce design so leaders are prepared — not reactive — when talent begins to move.
If you want deeper insight into the Q4 2025 findings or need support aligning your talent strategy with today’s workforce expectations, connect with our team or explore the full Pulse of the Workforce report. We help employers turn workforce data into smarter decisions and stronger teams.
