Technically skilled roles offer enhanced stability
Right now, one of the most reliable signals of long-term job stability is technical expertise. The data tells a clear story. LiveCareer reviewed over 300,000 CVs built in the first half of 2024 and found that people in roles like Java programming and robotics engineering tend to stay in their jobs significantly longer than the UK average. For context, the average UK worker changes jobs every 2.6 years. By contrast, programmers typically only hold two jobs over a six-year period.
What’s behind this? These jobs demand a level of specialization that isn’t easily transferable across other fields. You need rigorous training, certifications, and a deep understanding of complex systems. That’s not something people walk away from quickly. When someone invests heavily in building niche skills, it creates a natural stickiness, you stay in the game because leaving means sacrificing the value of that hard-won expertise.
From a leadership standpoint, this stability matters. In high-effort training positions, turnover is an HR cost and a knowledge drain. Retaining highly skilled staff keeps your company’s systems consistent, your innovation cycles intact, and your hiring efforts more efficient. Yes, it means being intentional about building the internal environment they want to commit to. But the payoff is worth it, lower attrition, stronger performance, and higher ROI on talent development. Simply put, specialists don’t move unless they have a compelling reason. That’s an advantage.
The tech industry increasingly values strategic job hopping
Let’s not ignore the other side of the trend. Stability’s great, but in technology, movement can also be a signal of strength. Job hopping, once viewed as a liability, is now often a calculated decision, especially for younger professionals looking to scale quickly. And honestly, it makes sense. Tech isn’t static. The tools and platforms evolve fast. So does the market response to innovation.
Patrycja Mazurczak, a career expert with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches, says it straight: in tech, switching jobs every few years isn’t frowned upon, it’s becoming the norm. Better pay, access to new technologies, broader project exposure, these are all factors driving high performers to move faster than ever.
Now, of course, this approach carries risks. There’s a line between strategic growth and lack of commitment. Consistently jumping without purpose can limit depth in any one area, and that eventually shows up in performance. But used properly, mobility builds range and sharpens adaptability, traits every tech business wants more of.
Here’s what that means for executives: If your hiring model still assumes candidates need long tenures on their resumes, you might be cutting out top-tier talent. Today’s best engineers and operators often move because they’re ambitious, not impatient. They’re staying current, and that keeps your business competitive. Embrace that mindset, and design for it. Create internal pathways for mobility, push learning aggressively, and give them a reason to evolve without leaving. That’s how you retain the people worth keeping.
The UK job market exhibits frequent turnover influenced by external factors
Across the UK, people are changing jobs more often, every 2.6 years on average, according to LiveCareer’s review of over 300,000 CVs from the first half of 2024. This isn’t limited to just one industry. It’s a broader market trend shaped by low unemployment and shifting attitudes around career movement. People no longer see short stints in a company as questionable. In many sectors, particularly tech, it’s expected.
This matters because change at this scale signals a different set of priorities in the workforce. Individuals are more confident in the job market. They’re more likely to pivot toward opportunities that better align with their personal goals, whether that’s remote flexibility, bigger challenges, or faster growth. Businesses can’t rely on loyalty by default. That era’s done.
Executives need to think tactically about talent retention. Identify high-potential individuals early. Engage them continuously with meaningful work and clear growth paths. If your org charts are rigid, your most capable people will leave, because now, they know they can. And the companies that win won’t resist this new cycle of fast movement, they’ll shape it. Offer purpose, ownership, and a visible future. That’s how you compete in this environment.
The tech talent market remains highly competitive due to persistent skills shortages
The hiring landscape in tech hasn’t calmed down, and it probably won’t for a while. Even after the pandemic saw a surge in IT demand, followed by the “great resignation,” the core challenge remains the same: not enough talent with the right skills. LiveCareer’s ongoing research reflects it clearly, companies are still chasing a narrow, high-value pool of technical professionals.
In this climate, recruiters are shifting how they evaluate candidates. They’re no longer prioritizing job tenure above all else. They care more about specific expertise, demonstrated outcomes, and how quickly someone can integrate into a fast-moving environment. That’s a fundamental shift, and it’s not temporary.
Leaders need to drop any outdated assumptions about linear career paths. Adapt your hiring processes to focus on capability over chronology. If you’re still penalizing candidates for frequent moves, you’re likely disqualifying the very people your competitors are trying to hire. Technical depth and flexibility matter more than static resumes.
This market rewards speed. That means your internal training and upskilling programs need to be strong enough to compete with external opportunity. It’s competitive out there, and there’s little tolerance for lag. Invest in learning, keep compensation aligned with current demand, and stay ahead of where the skill gaps are going, not just where they are today.
Certain tech roles balance stability with mobility based on career aspirations
There’s a segment of technical roles that sit between deep stability and active mobility. These aren’t strictly long-term roles, but they’re not high-churn either. Think of titles like technical operations manager or mid-level IT management. Professionals in these areas often stay longer because the work demands continuity. At the same time, they tend to move strategically when better leadership opportunities, larger scopes, or organizational growth become available.
LiveCareer’s classification of these roles as “moderately stable” is accurate. The people in these positions typically play a key role in systems execution, infrastructure scaling, and team coordination. They build institutional knowledge and relationships, which gives them influence. But once they’ve reached a ceiling in scope or challenge, they’ll look for something bigger. This dual tendency, staying long enough to deliver, but moving when limited, makes them predictable in intent.
Executives need to understand this mindset. If you want to keep these professionals, advancement paths need to be clear and achievable. Promotions can’t just be occasional or symbolic. Create tangible leadership progression tracks, and combine that with access to broader problem-solving roles. It keeps top performers engaged and aligned with long-term priorities. If this group sees growth internally, they stay. If not, they’ll find it elsewhere. And someone else’s roadmap will benefit from the capabilities you developed.
The rapidly evolving tech landscape drives the need for mobility to remain competitive.
The pace of change in technology doesn’t wait. New frameworks, tools, and capabilities emerge constantly. If you’re not adapting quickly, you’re falling behind. For tech professionals, this means staying relevant often requires moving between roles. They seek new environments where the latest skills are in demand, and where learning curves remain steep.
That’s why job mobility in tech can be a strength, not a deficiency. People move to maintain alignment with the cutting edge. They’re actively choosing environments that give them access to real-time problems, new technologies, and evolving challenges. That’s how they future-proof their careers.
From a leadership perspective, this movement creates tension if your internal systems are too slow. If your engineers or analysts outgrow your current stack or tech priorities, they’ll leave for a place that lets them solve harder problems with better tools. To keep them, you need to create that space inside your organization, circulate high-impact projects, rotate responsibilities, and upgrade tech stacks ahead of obsolescence.
Executives need to treat mobility as a design consideration, not a disruption. Build roles and career flows that give your team room to evolve without leaving. If your workplace supports growth at the speed of change, people stay engaged. If not, they walk, and they’ll walk to a competitor who figured it out.
Key highlights
- More stability in technical roles: Technical roles like programming and robotics show above-average stability due to skill specialization and certification requirements. Leaders should invest in upskilling programs to build retention organically in these areas.
- Strategic job mobility is the new norm: In tech, job hopping is no longer a red flag. Executives should reassess hiring criteria to value skill growth and problem-solving over traditional tenure.
- Workforce expectations are shifting: With UK employees changing jobs every 2.6 years on average, talent strategies must reflect a transient workforce. Leaders should focus on career development frameworks that accommodate frequent movement without knowledge loss.
- Tech hiring stays competitive under pressure: Ongoing skills shortages in tech make top talent harder to retain. HR decision-makers should streamline hiring processes and adjust compensation strategies to outperform competitors for in-demand expertise.
- Mid-tier roles require growth-ready environments: Roles in technical management and operations exhibit moderate mobility tied to advancement opportunities. Offering structured growth and leadership paths will reduce flight risk among experienced professionals.
- Skills evolution drives role changes: The pace of tech advancement pushes professionals to change roles to stay current. Organizations must support internal mobility and continual learning to minimize attrition and maintain innovation velocity.
