One-Third of Early Careers Hires Are Leaving: What This Means for Organisations in 2025

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Attrition

 

New research from ECO and The Smarty Train has identified a concerning trend: nearly one-third of Early Careers hires are leaving their organisations within three years of joining.

At an average cost of £3,291 / $4,222 per graduate hire, losing Early Careers talent is an expensive problem. Factor in the investments in training, development, and onboarding, and the financial impact becomes even more significant.

Yet the cost of attrition goes beyond budgets: losing talent disrupts team dynamics, leaves critical skill gaps, and tarnishes employer brand. Over time, organisations risk being perceived as a “revolving door” rather than a nurturing environment for talent.

A high attrition rate is not just a challenge for HR teams, it’s a strategic issue that threatens to undermine long-term success for organisations. And for those in competitive sectors, it can mean losing the race for future leadership talent.

With 2025 in full swing, the stakes are clear: organisations that fail to address attrition risk losing their brightest stars and future leaders, while those that innovate will ensure their workforce of tomorrow is secured.

What factors are driving Early Careers attrition?

Data literacy and predictive analytics:

Attrition is a multifaceted problem, but many Early Careers functions lack the tools to tackle it systematically. According to the 2025 ECO Early Careers Trends Report, 74% of these Early Careers teams acknowledge they could improve their use of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to uncover the root causes of attrition and predict its likelihood.

By leveraging data more effectively, organisations can identify patterns—such as team dynamics, leadership quality, or alignment between roles and expectations—that lead to attrition. Without these insights, interventions remain reactive rather than preventative.

Post-programme support:

Another concerning trend emerging from ECO research is the "cliff-edge" effect: a spike in attrition once onboarding programmes end. While Early Careers functions often excel at welcoming new joiners, 71% of Early Careers teams admit that their post-programme support once joiners have left their onboarding programmes is in need of improvement.

Without clear career pathways or ongoing development opportunities, employees may feel directionless and disconnected from your organisation, and could choose to leave.

What are best-practice organisations doing to address Early Careers attrition?

With the cost of inaction being too high to ignore, many global organisations have already begun taking a proactive, data-driven approach to Early Careers attrition:

  • Enhancing data capabilities: If - like many ECO participants – your Early Careers function doesn’t yet have access to long-term data to map out where retention processes may be going wrong, then external benchmarking data is a great starting point for assessing how your retention rates stack up against organisations of a similar size. Find out how ECO can help.

  • Building coaches and mentors: Today’s Early Talent value feedback more than the generations that preceded them. ECO surveys found the most effective tool for Early Careers functions was over-investment in mentorship and coaching – in fact, 89% of graduate programmes surveyed by ECO had a mentoring or buddy system in place in one form or another. Learn more about coaching and mentoring.

  • Embedding post-programme development: Part of the 71% of Early Careers teams concerned about post-programme support? Ensure your new joiners continue to thrive beyond their onboarding by providing ongoing support post-programme, defined career paths and access to a curated library of resources, guides, webinars, and templates, empowering them to take ownership of their long-term development as they embark on their careers at your organisation. Learn more about self-led learning.

Not sure where to start?

The data that informed the 2025 Early Careers Trends Report was collected from over 25 leading global organisations using TST’s Early Careers Optimiser (ECO) methodology. For more information on how ECO has helped organisations build data-driven, human-centred and DE&I-focused strategies for their Early Careers, talk to our data experts.

Early Careers attrition, while a pivotal trend, represents only part of the challenge facing Early Careers functions in 2025 and beyond. For a comprehensive understanding of all five trends shaping Early Careers, download the 2025 Early Career Trends Report, which includes additional insights, case studies, and actionable recommendations.

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