Entry-level jobseekers are almost twice as likely as senior and management-level candidates to prefer working fully in the workplace, according to new research from CV-Library.
The latest Candidate Behaviour Barometer, which surveyed 1,043 UK jobseekers, found that 51% of entry-level candidates would prefer to be fully office-based, compared with 26% of senior and management-level candidates.
The findings challenge the assumption that people at the beginning of their careers are leading demand for remote working. They also raise a practical question for employers: will the experienced colleagues junior employees want to learn from be in the office at the same time?
A gap in workplace preferences
Hybrid working was preferred by 60% of senior and management-level candidates, compared with 42% of entry-level candidates.
Entry-level respondents were also more likely to say they learn from colleagues in person: 52.6%, compared with 31.6% of senior and management-level respondents.
Career level and age are separate measures in the research, but the age breakdown also points to the value younger candidates place on time with colleagues.
Gen Z sees career benefits in office time
Overall, 56% of respondents believed spending time in the office could improve career progression, through learning from colleagues or gaining greater visibility with employers.
That rose to 69% among Gen Z candidates aged 18–28, compared with 43% among Baby Boomers aged over 60.
“With more companies demanding a return to the office, the promise of career development and coaching can prove a powerful draw.”
Lee Biggins, CEO and Founder at CV-Library
Biggins said the findings highlighted a mismatch between entry-level workers’ appetite for mentorship and the availability of more experienced colleagues in the workplace.
He argued that employers need to ensure senior staff are present if a return to the office is to deliver the promised development opportunities. Otherwise, younger workers could miss informal learning, mentorship and knowledge-sharing that help build confidence and careers.
Hybrid remains the most popular option overall
Across all jobseekers surveyed, 49% preferred a combination of office and remote working, up from 40% in the 2025 Candidate Behaviour Barometer.
Some office time remained attractive to most respondents: 90% said they would prefer to work in the office at least part of the time, including those who wanted to be there full-time.
For employers, the findings suggest that simply asking junior employees to attend is unlikely to be enough. Coordinating time together and making experienced colleagues available are central to turning office attendance into a useful development opportunity.
About the research
The Candidate Behaviour Barometer 2026 is CV-Library’s second annual study into hiring attitudes. It draws on two independent surveys, conducted in August 2026: one of 1,043 UK jobseekers and another of 233 recruiters, hiring managers and direct employers.
The workplace preferences reported here come from the jobseeker survey. The two audiences were surveyed separately, so figures presented alongside one another in the wider study compare different viewpoints rather than like-for-like responses.
