New reasons are driving leadership to new roles in 2026
Australia is on the brink of a major leadership exodus after a new report from Page Executive found that many senior leaders in the country are eyeing a new job within a year.
The report found that 63% of Australian senior leaders and executives plan to start looking for their next leadership role within the next three months.
Another 42% said they are already actively looking, while 26% are already expecting to leave their current organisation within 12 months.
Even when not actively looking, the report discovered that 89% of Australian executives and senior leaders are already open to new career opportunities.
Molly Green, head of Page Executive Australia, attributed leadership's openness to new roles to the ongoing uncertainty in the market.
"We're in an environment of global, geopolitical, and economic uncertainty. In Australia, there are productivity challenges, changes in the federal budget, and AI which is changing how organisations and people fundamentally work," Green said.
"In uncertain times, people like to keep their options open."
Flexibility at the top of leaders' minds
Leadership in Australia is also becoming more "value-driven," according to Green.
The findings revealed that work-life balance (53%) is now the top driver of job satisfaction for executives and senior leaders, outpacing even salary (46%).
Flexibility and hybrid work also rose as the most valued executive benefit, with two in three respondents admitting that they would turn down a promotion if it compromised their wellbeing.
"The data tells us they aren't willing to compromise their wellbeing and work flexibility for a paycheque," Green said.
"A lot of people in the C-Suite are in the sandwich generation and are raising a family and also dealing with older parents. They are looking for that balance that allows them to juggle both."
The findings come despite recent widespread pushback from Australian executives over returning to the office. Last year, findings from Robert Half found that 39% of employers are already mandating their staff to report onsite five days a week.
The report also revealed a "domino effect" when it comes to RTO, where 84% of employers are more likely to be influenced by RTO mandates of other businesses when coming up with their own policies.
RTO policies received pushback from the workforce when they were being introduced, as employees want to keep the flexibility that they gained during the pandemic.
Page Executive's findings show that employers are more aligned with their staff when it comes to flexibility.
"Despite the widespread commentary about returning to the office, the data tells us that Director and C-Suite employees value the flexibility they've become accustomed to and many are not willing to sacrifice it in changing jobs," Green said.
