Dive Brief:
- Nearly 40% of C-suite leaders and senior executives have considered leaving their role in the past 12 months, with half that group thinking about it “very often,” according to survey results published by resume writing firm TopResume.
- The study shows that many C-suite executives are quietly contemplating their next career move amid rising work pressures, according to a report on the findings.
- “The motivations behind these exit considerations challenge the assumption that senior leaders are solely driven by pay,” the report said. “While compensation still matters, the dominant pressures for today’s C-suite executives are both more human and complex.”
Dive Insight:
The research comes as business leaders across the globe navigate challenges including rising geo-political risks, heightened economic uncertainty and disruption from artificial intelligence.
Executives found it harder to do business last year as they encountered growing barriers in areas such as trade, talent and cross-border capital flows, the World Economic Forum reported this month.
CFOs in particular are under intense pressure today, often working long hours to meet the ever-expanding demands of their roles, AccountsIQ, a finance software maker based in Dublin, Ireland, said in an October report.
Global CFO turnover rose during the first half of 2025 to a seven-year high on an annual basis, driven by increased retirement rates and record high CEO turnover during the prior year, according to leadership advisory firm Russell Reynolds Associates, CFO Dive previously reported.
TopResume found that more than a third of C-suite professionals are actively applying for new roles and networking regularly, while another half are either open to the right opportunity or exploring options as they arise.
A third of respondents cited the desire for a better work-life balance as their primary reason for wanting to leave. Other top reasons included burnout, stress and the need for promotion.
“Senior leaders are operating in an always-on environment where mobile technology, global teams, and constant connectivity have erased any real boundaries between work and personal time,” Amanda Augustine, resident career expert at TopResume, said in an email. “For many executives, the workday now stretches from early-morning calls to late-night decision-making, with very little opportunity to truly unplug.”
Leaders are also being forced to do more with fewer resources and staff, while carrying the emotional weight of layoff decisions, Augustine said.
“That combination of increased workload, heightened accountability, and emotional toll adds up quickly,” she said. “Layer on the post-COVID shift in priorities where many professionals, including executives, took a hard look at what they want their lives to look like, and it’s no surprise that work-life balance has overtaken compensation as the top driver of dissatisfaction.”
TopResume’s report was based on a survey of 500 current and aspiring C-suite executives across industries, the company said.