Is 'Management Aspiration = Retention' a Myth?

■ Survey Overview

Robert Walters Japan K.K. (hereinafter, 'the Company') conducted a survey targeting non-management employees in their 20s to early 30s and Japanese domestic companies, focusing on their perceptions of middle management and career actions.

The purpose of this survey was to clarify the structural issues behind the reported shortage of middle managers by analyzing the correlation between 'desire to become a middle manager' and 'job change behavior/confidence in changing jobs.'

Target respondents: 1,107 non-management employees in their 20s to early 30s / 414 Japanese domestic companies

Survey method: Online questionnaire

Survey period: October 2025

Conducted by: Robert Walters Japan K.K.

■ Summary of Survey Results

① Aspiring middle managers are not a 'minority'

Approximately 65% of non-management employees in their 20s to early 30s responded, 'I want to become a middle manager for career advancement.'
Contrary to the view that 'young people avoid management roles,' it was found that the role of middle management itself is not widely rejected.

② However, those with high aspirations are also considering the job market

Among those with a high desire to become a middle manager, a higher percentage were actively engaged in job searching and had higher confidence in changing jobs.
This indicates a structure where 'desire for promotion' does not necessarily equate to 'retention within the company.'

③ While 97.3% of companies responded that 'middle managers are important,' there is a gap in role design

In the survey targeting companies, 97.3% responded that 'middle managers are important for our company.' This indicates that the recognition of middle managers as indispensable for organizational operations is widely shared among companies.

On the other hand, in the survey targeting individuals, the most common reason for not wanting to become a middle manager was 'high stress and disproportionate compensation' (76.7%).

① Aspiring middle managers are by no means a minority

To the question, 'Do you think it is necessary to become a middle manager for career advancement?', 59.5% responded 'It is necessary and I want to become a middle manager,' and 5.5% responded 'It is not necessary, but I want to become one.'

65% of respondents want to become middle managers

Reasons for wanting to become a middle manager included:

Ability to influence the direction and strategy of the organization or team (34.1%)
Higher salary (29.8%)

These top reasons show that a certain number of people view it positively as the next step in their career.

② Those with high middle management aspirations do not limit their career options to within the company

On the other hand, focusing on job change behavior:

40.0% of those in the 'not necessary, but want to become one' group
33.5% of those in the 'necessary and want to become one' group

responded that they are currently engaged in job searching.

This shows a higher job search rate compared to the 'necessary but do not want to become one' group (30.4%) and the 'not necessary and do not want to become one' group (28.6%).

Those who 'want' to be middle managers have a higher job search rate than those who 'do not want' to be.

Furthermore, 74% of those in the 'necessary and want to become one' group responded that they 'are confident in changing jobs,' which is higher than the 'necessary but do not want to become one' group (57%).

These results suggest that a high desire to become a middle manager does not necessarily lead to an intention to remain with the current company.

Those who 'want' to be middle managers also have higher confidence in changing jobs.

③ While companies strongly need middle managers, there is a gap in role design

In the survey conducted for companies, 97.3% responded 'important' to the question, 'How important are middle managers to your company?'

This indicates that the recognition of middle managers as playing an indispensable role in organizational operations, connecting the field and management, is widely shared among companies.

97.3% of companies responded that 'middle managers are important.'

On the other hand, in the survey targeting individuals, the most common reason for not wanting to become a middle manager was 'high stress and disproportionate compensation,' with 76.7% of respondents.

Other reasons included 'limited decision-making authority,' 'difficulty feeling personal growth,' and 'difficulty exercising creativity.' These results suggest that while companies have high expectations for middle managers, individuals may perceive the role as 'a role where discretion, returns, and a sense of growth are insufficient relative to responsibility.'

The challenges surrounding middle management are not merely issues of motivation or development, but are thought to stem from a gap in role design where, if the structure of 'promotion = increased responsibility + increased burden' remains, it will be difficult to retain motivated talent within the company.

■ What is being questioned is 'role design' rather than 'development'