Nearly One in Three Graduates and Apprentices Leave by Year Three of Employment

The Smarty Train, the UK-based people and learning consultancy, today announces its inaugural 2025 Early Careers Trends Report, gathering robust data from UK and global businesses, revealing an alarming 29% of Early Careers joiners leave by their third year of employment.

With the typical cost per hire, per graduate costing over £3,200, the report found that nearly three-quarters of organisations (74%) are unable to confidently demonstrate a Return on Investment (ROI) from their Early Careers initiatives.

The report unearthed five major trends in Early Careers functions across the UK:

• Early Careers programmes are failing to combat attrition: On average, nearly one-third of Early Careers joiners leave within three years of joining an organisation.
• Foundations for Early Careers ROI are missing: While 91% of Early Careers functions know the data needed for ROI, 74% lack confidence in demonstrating it.
• DE&I is a barrier to recruitment: DE&I remains the top recruitment challenge for most Early Careers leaders, despite their commitment to reduce bias.
• Early Careers Leaders believe their teams have critical skills gaps: Strategic skills gaps identified in Early Careers practitioners include data analytics, strategic thinking, change management and influencing.
• Line managers of Early Careers need more support: 46% of Early Careers functions feel there is room for improvement in the support provided to Line Managers to train their Graduate hires.

The report draws on data and exclusive insights from 180+ participants across major global organisations that together employ over 2,500,000 people worldwide. Backed by The Smarty Train’s Early Careers Optimiser (ECO) methodology, the report provides a forward-looking analysis of key trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping Early Careers functions in 2025.

The Smarty Train’s Chief Innovation Officer, Khairunnisa Mohamedali said:

“As organisations across the UK and beyond contend with talent shortages, evolving workforce expectations, and fierce competition for top talent, uncovering that a third of the average early careers cohort leave before the three-year mark should ring alarm bells for industry leaders. This is made even more stark with the current tight labour market, meaning demand is outstripping supply.

The benefits of investing in early careers development are clear: from addressing skills gaps and fostering diversity and inclusion, to enhancing employee engagement, retention, and building a talent pipeline that delivers true return on investment. We hope this first-of-its-kind report will not only inspire fresh ideas but equip leaders with practical steps to optimise their Early Careers functions”.

Early Careers leaders can request a full copy of the report at http://eco.thesmartytrain.com/early-careers-trends-report

HRD Connect Curators of the New Business Landscape. HRD Connect produces industry-recognized content for senior HR leaders. Through articles, case studies, Q&As, podcasts, events, and more, we offer truly progressive and cutting-edge insights designed to help people leaders address core HR challenges and add greater value to their business.

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