What is preventing employees from changing careers?

Indeed’s report found that three out of four Ireland-based employees are open to moving into a new career, but are being held back by a number of factors.

Job recruitment platform Indeed has published new research indicating that there are a multitude of factors preventing Ireland’s employees from making a significant career move into another field, despite a significant portion being open to making the change. 

On behalf of Indeed, Censuswide collected data from 1,000 jobseekers and employees based in Ireland in June of this year. A main finding of the research was that, of those who contributed their information, three-quarters of workers are open to a career change, however, there is a lack of understanding into how this may be facilitated. 

31pc of participants explained that they are held back by financial uncertainty, 23pc are concerned about having to start as a beginner all over again, 23pc fear that they don’t have the necessary qualifications and a further 23pc are uncertain about which jobs would suit them. 

Concerns around skill level stood out, as more than 60pc were of the opinion that while they do have transferable skills, they aren’t quite sure where those skills might be most relevant. Half of respondents said they wish they knew what jobs they qualify for based on their skillset and experience.

Commenting on the report, Conor McCarthy, the vice-president of sales for the UK and Ireland at Indeed, said: “Changing careers can feel daunting, especially in a rapidly changing work environment. People know they have valuable skills but cannot see how they translate into new opportunities in today’s workplace.” 

Calm, cool and confident

Indeed’s research found that increased confidence and guidance could potentially encourage people to explore new opportunities. 71pc said they wish they could ask questions about a company or role before applying for it, with an additional 54pc agreeing that they have struggled to explain why they are a good fit for a role during an application or interview.

The report suggests that ambition is not lacking among Ireland’s employees, as 61pc said that they have a dream career they would love to make a reality, while 88pc could imagine moving into a field “where workers will be needed in the long term”.

With longevity in mind, employees are navigating growing uncertainty about the future, with this being a leading concern for of workers that are thinking about their professional future (34pc), followed closely by the impact of AI and automation (32pc).

Career coaching also remains largely untapped, claimed the report, which found that only 21pc of participants have ever used a career coach, with the biggest barriers including never having considered using one (39pc), concerns about cost (28pc), uncertainty about what a career coach does (25pc) and not knowing where to find one (24pc).

McCarthy said: “For many people, career support has either felt out of reach or too generic to be useful.”

Updated, 4.42pm, 24 July 2026: This article has been amended to fix some incorrect statistics.

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