Building an Effective Talent Mobility Program

Most employees switch jobs every three to five years, with high-performers and early career professionals often changing roles even more frequently—every two to three years. Despite this, many organizations lack a strategic approach to managing internal mobility, missing out on significant untapped potential.

One of the main reasons employees leave is that they perceive a lack of opportunities within their current organization—even when such opportunities exist. However, many employees who do secure internal moves feel they had to advocate for themselves without organizational support, leaving them feeling their career growth is not valued. This is why talent mobility programs are crucial, especially for mid-to-large-sized companies, as they unlock the full potential of an organization’s workforce. Such programs improve engagement and retention and ensure employees feel supported and celebrated in their career development.

In this article, I’ll share some tips for a talent mobility program to amplify your organization’s capabilities and foster a culture of growth and opportunity.

What Is Talent Mobility?

Talent mobility enables employees to transition smoothly between roles, departments, or organizational locations. It aligns employees’ career goals with the company’s evolving needs, fostering a versatile and skilled workforce while strengthening talent pipelines.

At its core, talent mobility policies set clear guidelines. More advanced programs include a dedicated mobility function led by a manager or specialist who oversees processes, policies, and performance metrics. They also contribute to culture, learning resources, systems, and data analytics.

A common misconception is that having an internal job board and policies equals a talent mobility program. However, a true program focuses on career growth and talent development. It often integrates with—or sits alongside—talent acquisition and involves workforce planning, organizational culture, learning and development, compliance, a talent marketplace, and other systems.

Ownership is key to success. In mid-sized companies, the responsibility can be added to an existing role, but larger organizations (10,000+ employees) may need a dedicated role. When executed well, the investment in talent mobility is well worth it.

New Processes and Operating Procedures

Most organizations post job openings and screen internal candidates, but few go the extra mile to create a high-touch, “white glove” experience for internal applicants or establish a process for identifying passive internal talent. Yet, these steps are crucial. Every internal candidate deserves a thoughtful conversation. Sourcing passive internal candidates might seem risky, but it doesn’t have to be. Modern HRIS systems can identify employees who align with specific opportunities and establish clear guidelines for inviting them to explore new roles.

Take gig work as an example. When a large enterprise undertakes a major project, managers often reach out to employees with relevant skills to contribute. This same principle should apply to filling critical business roles. This is where talent marketplaces become invaluable. They enable organizations to proactively engage internal talent, ensuring employees feel valued and have opportunities to grow within the company—ultimately driving retention and innovation.

The Role of Talent Marketplaces

Talent marketplaces are critical to a talent mobility program and are becoming mainstream for large organizations. Gartner predicts 30 percent of large enterprises will have a talent marketplace in 2025. These platforms are featured in Workday, Oracle, SAP, and talent solutions like Phenom, Gloat, Fuel50, Eightfold, Beamery, and many others. They enable employees to explore roles across the organization, and leaders to source internal talent. If your organization relies primarily on internal job postings to source internal talent, put a talent marketplace on your HR tech roadmap.

Features of an effective talent marketplace include a skills engine to provide employees with insights into the skills they need to develop for future roles; job visibility that goes beyond listing current openings to spotlight roles that could become available within the next 6–12 months; mentorship opportunities to connect employees with coaches who can guide them through potential transitions; and learning pathways that link career opportunities with relevant learning content to upskill for future roles.

Measuring Mobility

There is abundant data to help measure the performance and success of a talent mobility program. Here are a few key measures to consider tracking.

• Percent of non-entry-level jobs filled by an internal candidate (key)

• Percent of employees who have identified a target next step job (key)

• Average number of jobs held within the organization

• Robustness of talent pools

• For managers, the percent of employees who’ve gone on to other positions in the company versus leaving the company

• For managers, the percent of employees who have identified a next step job option

• Retention rates by department, level, and location

The first two metrics are key measurements that can headline reports and measure the overall health of a talent mobility program. Be sure to baseline any metrics before implementing or updating a program. It’s also beneficial to identify a measure that will help inform a manager’s performance. This will help drive overall company adoption and culture.

Final Thoughts

Building an effective talent mobility program isn’t just about creating a process for moving employees from point A to point B. It’s about establishing a culture and processes where talent thrives, roles evolve, and personal aspirations support business goals. Try to create a frictionless model that honors employees’ career goals and makes the wealth of talent available in an organization to key business units and projects. Consider creating a program with updated processes, a talent marketplace, and measurable outcomes to help your organization and its employees thrive.