One in five junior workers say onboarding pushed them toward quitting

Robert Walters says 21% of junior employees felt onboarding made them more likely to leave, underscoring how early support, training and role clarity can affect retention and productivity. The research lands as employers raise expectations on entry-level hires and ask them to adapt faster on the job.

Why it matters: - Poor onboarding can push early-career workers out before they settle into a role. - Robert Walters found 21% of junior employees said onboarding made them more likely to leave. - The research suggests onboarding now affects retention, speed to productivity and confidence at work. - Employers are also asking junior hires to contribute faster and adapt to AI-driven changes.

What happened: - Robert Walters released new research on onboarding experiences across junior employees, middle managers and the wider workforce. - Just 25% of junior employees said they felt very supported by their manager during onboarding. - Fifteen percent of junior employees said it took more than six months to feel effective in their roles. - Forty-five percent of middle managers said they felt very supported by their manager during onboarding. - Only 8% of middle managers said they needed more than six months to feel fully effective.

The details: - Thirty percent of junior employees said training and role clarity were lacking during onboarding. - Across the wider workforce, 45% of professionals rated onboarding as good or excellent. - More than one in five professionals, or 21%, described onboarding as poor or very poor. - Twenty-six percent said onboarding made them more likely to stay with their employer. - Fourteen percent said onboarding made them more likely to leave. - Forty-three percent of professionals said training and role clarity were the biggest onboarding gaps. - Twenty-nine percent pointed to manager support. - Twenty-three percent cited team integration. - Among middle managers, 50% said training and role clarity were lacking. - Forty-five percent said pre-start communication could have been improved. - Thirty-nine percent said they had trouble accessing the tools and systems needed to do the job well. - Andrew Powell, chief commercial officer at Robert Walters, said onboarding helps young workers build confidence, understand expectations and become productive faster.

Between the lines: - The findings point to a mismatch between how many companies treat onboarding and what new hires need from it. - Robert Walters says organizations still focus too heavily on administrative tasks instead of communication, development and support. - PwC's 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer found entry-level roles are becoming more