Retaining talent is becoming more critical as careers grow longer and workforce expectations continue to change.

Key Takeaways

• Talent retention is becoming more important as skills and experience become harder to replace.
• Retention needs can change as careers become longer and people’s circumstances evolve over time.
• Gi Group Holding’s More than Work report uses Nurture, Care and Heritage to show how retention risks can emerge across different stages of working life.
• Employers can strengthen retention by keeping development accessible and making career paths more flexible.
• Stronger talent retention can help organisations preserve knowledge, maintain continuity and build long-term workforce resilience.

Recent Swiss labour-market data shows how difficult access to qualified talent has become. At the end of last year, 36.2% of Swiss companies reported difficulties recruiting qualified personnel.

When talent is already difficult to replace, retention becomes a broader workforce priority. Employers need to understand not only what attracts people to an organisation, but also how their expectations and circumstances can change throughout longer and less linear careers.

Gi Group Holding’s “More than Work” report explores theses shifts through three themes: Nurture, Care and Heritage. Together, they show how development, caregiving responsibilities and longer careers can shape what people need from work at different stages of their lives.

As a result, stronger talent retention depends on recognizing these changing needs early and creating conditions that help people continue to contribute over time.

Why talent retention needs to evolve

Recruitment pressure in Switzerland is not only a short-term hiring challenge. It also raises a longer-term question: how easily will organisations be able to replace skills and experience when people leave?

A Swiss National Bank Economic Note estimates that, based on the current age structure, around 400,000 more people could leave the Swiss workforce than enter it over the next ten years.

Furthermore, a KOF Swiss Economic Institute survey of economists reinforces this concern: 87% of respondents identified demographic change as one of the main factors behind potential structural labour shortages in Switzerland.

What Nurture, Care and Heritage reveal about talent retention

Labour-market pressure explains why retention matters. The “More than Work” report helps explain where retention risks can emerge across a working life:

• Nurture shows the importance of clear development and progression for younger professionals.
• Care highlights how changing personal responsibilities can affect engagement when work structures are too rigid.
• Heritage shows why experienced professionals still need opportunities to develop, contribute and remain relevant as careers become longer.

Together the three themes point to a broader lesson: talent retention depends on creating conditions that can adapt as people’s careers, responsibilities and expectations change over time. This aligns closely with Gi Group Holding’s wider focus on sustainable work and employability across extended working lives.

Three priorities for stronger talent retention

As professional priorities change, retention approaches need to evolve with them. Employers should consider how flexibility and career design can support people throughout longer and less linear working lives.

1. Keep development open throughout working live

Development should not be concentrated at the beginning of a career. “More than Work” found that 44% of senior candidates identify limited career progression as a challenge, compared with 23% of HR leaders. This shows that experienced professionals may still expect opportunities to grow and progress.

2. Make flexibility part of career design

Flexibility is not only about where or when people work. As personal circumstances change, employees may also need greater flexibility in how they progress through their careers. Options such as temporary role adjustments and adaptable career paths can help people remain active and engaged at work.

3. Understand individual motivations

Career stage can influence what people need, but it does not determine individual ambition. Employers therefore need to understand what matters to each person rather than making assumptions based on age or life stage.

A more individual approach to talent retention can help organisations respond earlier when expectations change and create conditions that encourage people to continue contributing.

Talent retention can strengthen long-term workforce resilience

When skills and experience are difficult to replace, talent retention becomes part of a long-term workforce planning rather than a short-term HR objective. In a labour market shaped by demographic pressure and changing career expectations, employers need to:

• Retain experience;
• Keep developing capabilities;
• Support people through different stages of working life. 

A stronger approach to talent retention and help organisations preserve knowledge and build greater workforce resilience over time. Gi Group Holding supports the evolution of the labour market through a multi-brand HR ecosystem designed to address different stages of the talent lifecycle. This way, we help organisations respond to changing workforce needs with a broader, long-term perspective.

For a more detailed employer perspective on how retention strategies can respond to changing professional expectations, read the full article.

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