Survey insights: Employers want more from their job architecture 

However, career expectations have changed. For instance, offering internal mobility is becoming an increasing ask: The number-one reason employees consider leaving their employers is because career advancement takes too long. While 46% of organizations use JA to build career paths and a third leverage it to define promotion criteria, are traditional JAs getting the job done for employees? Is your legacy JA delivering the productivity and workforce agility business leaders are expecting?

Mercer’s inaugural global Job Architecture Pulse Survey Report explores the design, communication, operational effectiveness and governance of this framework. Explore the key findings below.

While three-quarters of HR leaders see the framework’s value for both effective compensation management and talent mobility, only 14% of employers underpin their JA with skills to improve visibility into career paths and developmental needs.

This is a sign the journey to effective skills-powered HR processes is in its infancy, evidenced by only 42% of organizations feeling their JA fully meets business needs and delivers desired outcomes. Perhaps this is one reason 37% plan to make changes to their JA in the next year. 

While messages like “own your own future” and “you are in the driver’s seat of your career” proliferate, we can’t ignore the role of the people leader. Only 40% of employees feel their current role aligns with their motivations and utilizes their skills. Yet too few managers (26%) understand how to discuss career opportunities with their employees using JA.

Without effective career conversations, unlocking the internal mobility promised by the framework becomes unachievable. This is one of many areas where the additions of skills and technology pay great dividends.

Enabling leaders to discuss careers using the language of skills leads to more actionable next steps for the employee. For example, an individual can aim to develop the specific skills that are needed in future roles or assignments they aspire to. Talent and skills technology can also improve employee trust and confidence by providing transparency to career opportunities and increasing access to learning opportunities.

Evaluating the design of JA can be patchy. Only 12% of employers do so on an “ongoing” basis, 15% annually and 46% evaluate its effectiveness “as needed.”

This lack of structure limits opportunities for refinement, so JAs may be unfit for purpose. To overcome inconsistent evaluation, companies can turn to management tools to keep their JAs updated with minimum effort.

In this era of continuous change — work is changing, jobs are changing, new skills emerge as others become extinct — companies should review the effectiveness of their JA regularly. When doing so, review your JA through these three lenses:

A skills-powered JA naturally addresses career development and progression. With skills as the rubric of JA, employees understand not only where they’re at in their current job, but what they need for success in the future.

With this framework, employers can prove they know their employees, they care about investing in their development and they will support them in their next career step. These are key motivators for a thriving career and an employee experience that evolves as people do. 

For a deeper dive into the insights, read the Global Job Architecture Pulse Survey Report.