Irmgard Naudin ten Cate, EY Global Talent Attraction & Acquisition Leader explains how and why their company looks inward for future talent.
Companies often overlook their internal talent
Many companies tend to focus on hiring externally because it’s what they’ve always done, or they think it will bring fresh ideas and innovation. This can mean missing out on talented individuals and valuable ideas from people who already understand the business and culture.
Our EY Mobility Reimagined survey found that, in 2025, only 52% of employers say it’s easy to find the required global talent to meet business needs. As employers face skills shortages and a competitive labour market, it’s a great time now more than ever before to look inwards for candidates and to offer reskilling opportunities to those who are already valued.
At EY, we’ve introduced AI-powered tools like My Career Hub to help uncover internal talent and make it easier for people to move into new roles. Users create a skills profile, market their qualifications and experiences, and identify gaps where they want to build competencies. For EY, the data enables us to manage and develop our workforce to deploy skills where we need them and to meet current and future market demands.
Organisations can identify the full potential of current employees, even if managers and employees may have fixed views about their role
It starts with changing how we think. At EY, we make efforts to encourage open career conversations anytime – not just during formal reviews. This helps us understand what people want out of their careers and how we can give it to them. We also help managers look beyond job titles to see transferable skills. Programs like NextGen Leadership and our Recruiter Academy support this, and we help our people to match people’s skills with new opportunities.
only 52% of employers say it’s easy to find the required global talent to meet business needs
Instead of static roles, organisations can try offering new challenges or encouraging new experiences like rotations and secondments across teams, functions and even geographies to bring out the full potential of employees. An EY example is Mobility4U, our global mobility program where participants can work across cultures and borders. Eighty-four percent of assignees report a positive impact on their careers over the long-term, and those who have taken an assignment have a 24% higher promotion rate.
Learning and development can support internal recruitment
Traditional L&D often focuses on climbing the ladder in one area. At EY, we support sideways moves and cross-team growth. Our learning programs are tied to real roles and career paths, helping people build in-demand skills that lead to new opportunities. We also offer mentoring and stretch assignments to help people grow in different directions.
