“Returners don’t want favours they want a fair shot. And when they get it, they thrive.”
Context
Our Career Returners Employer Insight and Networking Event, on 21 May 2025, brought together many leading employers from across the UK, Ireland, USA and France for a highly interactive discussion.
On launch of our Career Returners Indicator 2025 research report, our new CEO Hazel Little provided current data on the challenges facing returning professionals, as well as insights into their motivations and employment preferences.
In an expert panel discussion, two of our longstanding employer partners – Zoë Briggs, Inclusion Lead at Deloitte Ireland and Andrea Jones, Talent Acquisition Manager at Virgin Media O2 – shared valuable insights from their returner hiring initiatives. There was then the opportunity for informal employer discussions in break-out groups.
New Research Data
Our 2025 Career Returners Indicator (download here) reveals that returning to work after a career break is becoming even more challenging, as longstanding barriers are being compounded by economic and political pressures. 94% of returning professionals are finding it challenging to get back into a professional role, versus 92% last year, and 69% (versus 64%) are finding it extremely challenging.
46% of returners identify widespread recruiter bias against their CV gap as their greatest barrier. Recent study findings from the UK Recruitment and Employment Confederation confirm that lack of recent experience within the past year is one of the top two CV screening factors. That’s why we co-wrote guidance with the REC on becoming a returner-inclusive recruiter, launched in Q1 2025. 89% say that being on a career break has negatively impacted their self-confidence and this loss of confidence is perceived to be the greatest barrier by 24%. The report once again busts some returner stereotypes. Even more returners this year (75%) want to return to work full-time. Three quarters have upskilled and they’re ambitious and ready to get their careers back. We need more support from employers to welcome returners back in.
Employer Insights and Action
Zoë spearheaded the design and pilot of Deloitte Ireland’s Return to Work programme. Three years later, this returnship programme is recognised as a key lever in advancing gender diversity at senior levels within the organisation. Andrea managed the design and recruitment process for three returner programmes at O2, integrating 45 returners into the business. She is currently leading the first Virgin Media O2 Returners Programme, using a talent pooling and inclusive business-as-usual (BAU) recruitment approach.
They shared their advice both on getting a supportive returner hiring initiative up and running, and on embedding returner hiring into annual recruitment.
Here are 10 Top Tips we picked out from the panel discussion:
Starting a Programme
1. Start with a Pilot
- Identify teams or departments already open to hiring returners – early successes in these areas can inspire broader adoption across the organisation.
“Start with the low-hanging fruit”
2. Tailor Your Approach
- One size does not fit all, the choice of approach depends on the organisation’s needs and culture. Businesses can adapt supportive returner hiring frameworks (returnships, supported hiring into permanent roles, talent pooling) to best fit.
3. Returners are a great source of untapped talent
- Returner hiring has social value, but is not a charity initiative
“Returners don’t want favours they want a fair shot. And when they get it, they thrive.”
4. Challenge Stereotypes
- Address common misconceptions, for example that returners are all seeking part-time or junior roles.
“Our returners aren’t junior – they’re experienced professionals.”
5. Collaborate with the Business
- Engage stakeholders early and continuously to build momentum and alignment.
6. Recognise the Talent
- Career returners bring rich experience and valuable perspectives; treat them as the professionals they are.
“With the right person, returners not only fill a gap, they raise the bar.”
7. Build Strong Support Structures
- Equip hiring managers and interviewers with the tools, through training, to support returners and offer tailored transition coaching and mentoring support to returners.
“Career Returners Coaching is an important part of the programme.”
Building a sustainable programme
8. Use Internal Champions to Drive Momentum
- Support from hiring managers and senior leaders who’ve seen the value of returner talent helps expand programmes across the business.
“What we’ve seen is that the success of our early hires naturally encouraged other teams to get involved.”
9. Let the Talent Speak for Itself
- When teams work with returners, initial scepticism fades quickly as their capability, adaptability, and value become evident.
“Our hiring managers now see returners as a valuable talent stream, not a risk.”
10. Listen and Evolve Over Time
- Treat returner hiring as a dynamic process, adapt programmes based on feedback and learning
“We gathered insights from both returners and hiring managers.”
Further Information
If you’d like to learn more about our consulting, advertising, training and coaching support to help your organisation to develop supportive returner hiring, get in touch with the Career Returners Employer partner team on employers@careerreturners.com
