LeadershipNot yet confirmed elsewhere1 publisher2 min readPublished
Nearly three-quarters of tech workers have not ruled out leaving despite high satisfaction, ISACA survey shows
ISACA's survey of more than 1,000 tech professionals has 73% open to a new employer within two years, against 76% satisfied in their role. ISACA blames burnout and unclear career paths, but the evidence for each is uneven.
The Board Room · Leadership desk
Three figures from ISACA's survey: 76% of respondents are satisfied with their current role; 73% would consider moving to a new employer in the next two years or had not ruled it out; 75% said retention problems were already a concern for their organisation.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satisfied with their current role | 76% of respondents | 2 | |
| Would consider a new employer in the next two years | 73% of respondents | includes those who had not ruled it out | 3 |
| Say retention problems are already a concern | 75% of respondents | for their own organisation | 6 |
What happened
- Three-quarters of respondents said retention problems were already a concern for their own organisation.
- Better career prospects (29%) led the reasons respondents gave for leaving a previous job, with higher pay on 28% and more interesting work on 23%.
- The barrier to advancement cited most often was the lack of a clear route up, named by 34% of respondents and 41% of women.
- Some 59% reported work-related stress or burnout, 64% among women, citing heavy workloads (48%) and a lack of resources (43%).
Why it matters
- contradiction Hermann's account cuts against the satisfaction figure itself. If people stay because moving is hard, the 76% may overstate contentment and the 73% may overstate how soon anyone goes.
- decision Leaders must choose an order. Career-path clarity addresses the obstacle respondents cite most, while workload relief needs headcount that, on Hermann's account, AI rollouts are not adding.
- exposure Entry-level staff look most exposed. Hermann said younger workers move more often and AI may be squeezing the roles they start in, and ISACA's Tara Wisniewski warned this could worsen the industry's pipeline problems.
In ISACA's Tech Workplace and Culture 2026 report, satisfaction and willingness to leave are not opposites [1]. The 73% counts workers who would consider a new employer within two years or had not ruled it out [3]. That is a low bar for a yes. With 76% satisfied in their role [2], at least 49% of respondents belong to both groups [18], assuming both percentages describe the same respondents.
Julia Hermann, head of digital platform services at Giesecke+Devrient, described how the restraint works at an ISACA Europe 2026 briefing [10]. "People stick to their jobs, though they might not be totally satisfied, because at the moment it's not really easy to find a new job," she said [11]. Pay adds to it: "The salaries are partially going down, or at least stagnating, so you're not necessarily making a big jump when you go to another company," she said [12]. She added that long probationary periods raise the risk of a move: "If you're the last to come, you're the first to go on the next layoffs." [13] Her example was German automotive layoffs, while the survey spans tech professionals worldwide [1].
ISACA names two drivers, and the reported evidence supports them unequally. Better career prospects was the top reason leavers gave, one point ahead of higher pay [4][9]. Burnout is common, but the step from burnout to leaving is ISACA's warning that workplace pressures are feeding retention problems [14]. The survey figures relayed do not measure that step, and they do not break results out by region.
The workload cause has a concrete case. Hermann said AI has created "a lot more work" for her team, which is now responsible for managing and securing the internal platforms behind the company's AI models [16]. Support is thin where strain is high: just a quarter of respondents reported that their employer gives mental health days, and 23% reported getting no support of any kind [8].
The timing is the open part. The survey window is two years, so it points to no exit wave this quarter [3]. On Hermann's account the restraint is the job market [11], so departures would follow a recovery in hiring and pay, and a retention budget set after that point arrives late.
What to watch
- A regional or tenure breakdown of the 73%, to show whether it is higher where hiring is stronger than in German automotive.
- Pay for job movers: Hermann said salaries are falling or stagnating, and a bigger jump on moving would remove a restraint she cites.
- Whether ISACA's next survey shows satisfaction with career progression (71% now) falling as AI squeezes entry-level roles.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence45
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap+25
- Incentives55
- Confidence50
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
ISACA's Tech Workplace and Culture 2026 report surveyed more than 1,000 tech professionals worldwide.
- [2]
76% of respondents are satisfied with their current role and 71% are satisfied with their career progression.
- [3]
73% of respondents said they would consider moving to a new employer in the next two years, or had not ruled it out.
- [4]
Among respondents who had left a previous job, the most common reasons were better career prospects (29%), higher pay (28%) and more interesting work (23%).
- [5]
An unclear path upwards was the most commonly cited obstacle to career advancement, named by 34% of respondents and 41% of women.
- [6]
75% of respondents said retention problems were already a concern for their organisation.
- [7]
59% of respondents said they had experienced work-related stress or burnout, rising to 64% among women, with the main causes being heavy workloads (48%) and a lack of resources (43%).
- [8]
Only 25% of respondents said their employer offers mental health days, and 23% said it offers no support at all.
- [9]
Better career prospects (29%) was cited by leavers one percentage point more often than higher pay (28%).
- [10]
Julia Hermann, head of digital platform services at Giesecke+Devrient and a leader of ISACA's SheLeadsTech programme in Germany, said at a media briefing during ISACA Europe 2026 that layoffs in sectors such as the German automotive industry had led to a phenomenon known as "job hugging".
- [11]
Hermann said: "People stick to their jobs, though they might not be totally satisfied, because at the moment it's not really easy to find a new job."
- [12]
Hermann said: "The salaries are partially going down, or at least stagnating, so you're not necessarily making a big jump when you go to another company."
- [13]
Hermann said long probationary periods add to the risk of moving: "If you're the last to come, you're the first to go on the next layoffs."
- [14]
ISACA warns that burnout and unclear career paths are pushing workers to look elsewhere, and that workplace pressures are feeding into the sector's retention problems.
- [15]
Hermann said AI is often deployed with the intention of reducing workloads, but companies are not hiring for new roles to run the platforms behind it, so the work lands on existing staff on top of their day-to-day duties.
- [16]
Hermann said AI has created "a lot more work" for her team, which is now responsible for managing and securing the internal platforms that support the company's own AI models.
- [17]
According to Hermann, younger staff tend to move jobs more often and AI may be squeezing the entry-level roles they start out in; ISACA's senior vice president of advocacy, Tara Wisniewski, warned this could make the industry's pipeline problems worse.
ReportedInsufficientSource: Julia Hermann, Giesecke+Devrient; Tara Wisniewski, ISACAView cited source - [18]
At least 49% of respondents are both satisfied in their role and open to leaving within two years, assuming both percentages are shares of the same respondents.
Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- itpro.comTech workers are 'job hugging', ISACA warns, as AI reshapes their roles
1 article · October 13, 2026
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