The Career Returners Indicator 2026 is our annual research survey exploring the experiences of professionals seeking to return to work after extended career breaks for childcare, eldercare, health or other reasons. The findings highlight a skilled, motivated workforce that is ready to contribute, but facing major structural barriers.

The world of work is changing fast. But one thing hasn’t changed nearly enough: how we treat experienced professionals who have stepped away from their careers and are now ready to return. In 2026, we’re still wasting the talents of a huge pool of people – mainly women – simply because they took a career break for caring, health or relocation.

The Career Returners Indicator 2026 shows just how hard it has become to get back into skilled work. Hiring has tightened, many returner programmes have been paused, and recruitment systems are still not designed for career gaps and non-linear careers. This is reflected in the stark mismatch between job search efforts and results.

With persistent skills shortages, longer working lives, and an increasing need for the agility, maturity and resilience that returners bring, that’s not just unfair – it makes no economic or business sense.

The findings also show that the stereotypes about returners don’t match the reality. Most returners want to work full‑time. They’ve upskilled. They’re adaptable, motivated and ambitious to get back to meaningful careers. They’re open to retraining into growth areas. What they’re running into isn’t a lack of ability or ambition. They’re blocked by outdated hiring assumptions and a failure to recognise the value of mid-career experience.

Returning to work right now is bruising. Confidence and mental wellbeing, already fragile after long breaks and repeated rejection, are taking a hit. While individuals can take action to improve their chances – and we will continue to support them through our Career Returners Community – this problem needs a coordinated approach with employers and policymakers.

We need more employers to rethink how they hire and actively welcome returners back in. And we need government backing to invest in supportive return‑to‑work and retraining pathways and targeted retraining routes. 

Please do read the recommendations summarised below and detailed in the report. The skills, experience and motivation sitting on the sidelines today are simply too valuable to waste.

Julianne Miles MBE CPsychol

Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Career Returners

Author of ‘Return Journey: How to get back to work and thrive after a career break’