Workforce and Career Insights From 2025 Survey

In light of these findings, our report on this year’s survey, “Lubricants Talent Report 2025,” recommends addressing three areas: pay, progression and people development. 

Pay Isn’t Enough, and 2025 Just Proved It 

The 2024 survey indicated exceptional salary growth in the industry, with 75% of respondents reporting raises. This year’s results indicated a moderate slowdown in salary growth. Just over half of respondents received a pay rise this year, and the size of increases was more modest. Double-digit raises that were common in 2024 have tapered off, with most pay increases now in the range of 1%–5%. 

This cooling is not necessarily negative. It reflects tighter cost management amid economic uncertainty and could signal a new equilibrium after years of extraordinary pay increases fuelled by inflation.  

The real surprise? Despite the slowdown in pay raises, job satisfaction has climbed to its highest level since ABN Resource began tracking it. Nearly seven in 10 professionals now say they are content in their roles. 

Why? Because salary is now viewed as a baseline, rather than a benefit. Employees expect to be paid fairly, but their engagement is increasingly tied to non-financial factors. Challenging projects, a strong culture and flexibility rank nearly as high as compensation, revealing a shift in what truly motivates professionals.  

This should rattle employers who rely too heavily on the checkbook. Competitive compensation remains table stakes, but the data is precise: Poor leadership, lack of career progression and toxic culture are far more likely to drive disengagement than keeping the workforce engaged with a big pay hike. 

Younger Talent is Moving  

The lubricants workforce is more stable than it has been in years. Only about one in five survey respondents reported actively job hunting, a sharp decline from the post-pandemic peak of the Great Resignation.  

At the same time, a growing number (36%) said they have no plans to move at all, a figure that has doubled since just two years ago. For employers, this appears to be a win: fewer empty seats to fill, stronger continuity and less disruption.  

However, beneath the surface, stability comes at a hidden cost. With fewer people moving, the flow of new ideas, skills and perspectives into organizations slows dramatically. Coupled with an aging workforce, companies risk a kind of “talent stagnation” where experience anchors stability but fresh energy is harder to source. Without intentional internal development, businesses may find themselves unprepared when retirements or sudden exits strike. 

The lubricants workforce as a whole may appear more stable in 2025, but stability is not evenly shared across age groups. Beneath the headline numbers lies a generational divide. Report data shows younger professionals are far more likely to be eyeing a job exit than their older colleagues. Nearly one in three employees aged 25-44 is actively job hunting, compared with just 19% of those 55 and older. Add the large share of younger professionals who are passively open to offers, and it’s clear that this group represents both the sector’s greatest opportunity and its most significant retention risk. 

The drivers go much deeper than pay. Younger professionals crave visible career pathways, strong mentors and leadership that invests in their growth. When these are absent, loyalty quickly drains away. In fact, poor leadership now outranks compensation as the top reason younger employees disengage. 

This matters. Young and mid-career talent are the backbone of technical expertise and succession pipelines. If companies fail to provide clear progression and supportive cultures, the industry risks a dangerous brain drain at the very moment succession pressures are mounting. 

The 2025 survey findings show “passive loyalty” as today’s defining behaviour. Nearly half of professionals aren’t actively applying for roles but remain open to the right opportunity. They are quietly networking with future employers, listening for signals and waiting for meaningful outreach. This creates both a challenge and an opportunity.  

Employers can no longer rely on reactive hiring, hoping candidates will come knocking. ABN advises a more proactive approach consisting of targeted outreach, authentic employer branding and swift, transparent engagement. In a quieter but still fiercely competitive market, winning talent means building trust before the vacancy arises. Companies that understand this subtle shift will find themselves ahead because, in 2025, the best people aren’t actively looking to apply to job advertisements. They’re waiting to be seen and approached. 

Leadership: A Killer and Saviour 

One of the report’s most sobering revelations is the outsized impact of leadership quality. Among respondents dissatisfied at work, a staggering 60% cite weak leadership as the core grievance. Bad bosses are a universal scourge that knows no borders or company size.  

The report’s sharpest call to arms? Ramp up succession planning and leadership development — now. Over 40% of respondents identified decisive leadership and effective succession planning as the most critical initiatives for securing the future workforce. 

And the urgency is real. One-third of industry professionals in the talent report are between 55 and 64 years old, and another 13% are already over 65. This isn’t just a pipeline problem; it’s a countdown. As retirements accelerate, companies risk losing both leadership and deep technical expertise. Without action, the lubricants sector faces a “talent cliff,” where institutional knowledge simply walks out the door. 

Our report also warns that succession is not just about CEOs or board seats. Critical technical roles such as formulators, technical service, product management and senior sales strategists are also at risk. Those were also the areas most cited by survey respondents as having skills gaps. Unless companies deliberately transfer knowledge and prepare high-potential employees, gaps will appear in innovation, customer relationships and operations. 

The question is not if companies need succession plans, but whether they have the nerve to invest in them now. 

An Optimistic But Wary Workforce 

Despite demographic challenges and persistent skill shortages, sentiment across the lubricants workforce remains broadly positive. Nearly 60% describe themselves as optimistic or cautiously optimistic about the industry’s future, a hopeful sign alongside the resilience and adaptability that characterize the sector’s current mindset. 

This optimism, however, is grounded in realism. Growth and profitability remain the foremost concerns, the survey shows, reflecting pressures from maturing markets and intensifying competition. Economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions closely follow, weighing heavily on confidence, while supply chain disruptions, though eased, remain a critical operational challenge for nearly a third of companies. 

But optimism matters. It suggests that professionals believe the industry can navigate these headwinds. The risk is that optimism can lead to complacency, particularly in areas such as succession planning, skills development and organizational culture. Sustaining growth will depend on talent management and strategic planning. 

ABN believes this balanced perspective serves as a crucial reminder that optimism alone is not enough; it must be paired with foresight, investment in people, and proactive leadership to secure the lubricants sector’s future in an evolving global landscape. 

Stability But Stakes Are High, What’s Next? 

If you’re a company leader, the question is, are you cultivating the next generation of talent or simply hoping it will show up? And if you’re a professional, are you positioning yourself to be part of the next generation or letting the moment pass? 

The answer matters because the lubricants sector, resilient as it is, cannot thrive on resilience alone. It must thrive on talent.  

Download the full “Lubricants Talent Report 2025” from ABN Resource to explore the data, insights and recommendations in detail. 

https://www.abnresource.com/talentreport25

Ewa Ozga is marketing manager of ABN Resource, a Leeds, United Kingdom, talent recruitment firm focused on the global lubricants industry.