A happy, fulfilled, and highly-trained staff is the lifeblood of any MSP—and high employee turnover is its critical weakness.
But exactly why do employees stay or go? In an IT labor market that still faces a skills shortage, answering that question could be key to building a revenue-boosting team for your MSP business. And while that answer will vary by age and gender, it’s important for business owners to have that discussion. However, even though 74% of organizations are concerned about attracting and retaining talent, only 27% always or frequently talk to their own employees about the issue, according to the 2025 Tech Workplace and Culture study from ISACA, an industry association focused on IT, governance, risk management, and cybersecurity. The recently released study surveyed 7,726 tech professionals to gain insight into their employee satisfaction and workplace culture.
“A robust and engaged tech workforce is essential to keeping enterprises operating at the highest level,” says Julia Kanouse, chief membership officer at ISACA, in a press statement. “In better understanding IT professionals’ motivations and pain points, including how these may differ across demographics, organizations can strengthen the resources and support these employees need to be effective and thrive, making strides in improving retention along the way.”
High Rate of Job Turnover, Particularly Among Younger Professionals
One of the more concerning findings of the survey, one-third of respondents answered that they have changed jobs in the last two years. MSPs across the industry (74% of organizations) have expressed having difficulty finding and retaining top talent, and this statistic validates that concern.
This trend is highest among the workers under 35, who make up 43% of that group. It decreases as the respondents’ ages increase, with only 25% of the 55+ demographic changing jobs in the last two years.
This high turnover rate is largely caused by burnout and copious amounts of workplace stress. By taking a closer look at the root causes behind this trend, MSPs can improve workplace satisfaction and better retain top talent—essential, in light of the industry-wide talent shortage.
Main Stressors and Career Obstacles
The IT field in general does have some barriers to entry, the study found. Respondents reported that the top challenge when pursuing an IT career is the need for more technical knowledge (35%). Other challenges include changing technology, tools, and best practices (31%) and specialized skills required for specific IT areas (30%).
The study found that the most frequent reason respondents left their former positions was out of a desire for higher compensation (33%). This is especially true of respondents under 44 years old. Other common reasons for changing jobs include a desire to improve career prospects, find more interesting work, and work somewhere with a better organizational culture.
As for stressors that contribute to eventual employee burnout, the survey found that the top contributor (54%) is heavy employee workloads. A mere 21% of employees say they have not experienced any workplace-related stress, with other key contributing factors including long hours (43%), tight deadlines (41%), a lack of resources (41%), unsupportive management (41%), a lack of appreciation (38%), and an unsatisfactory workplace culture (36%).
MSPs that provide mentorship or professional development opportunities can reduce these stressors. Despite this, while 63% of respondents expressed interest in having a mentor, only 22% currently have one.
Related: 7 Ways MSP Business Owners Can Prevent Burnout
Best Ways to Boost Employee Satisfaction—And Retention
Beyond that, there are other ways to improve employee satisfaction, such as offering acceptable compensation and career progression opportunities. And it does look like MSPs are keeping this in mind; the ISACA study found that nearly 70% of respondents received a salary increase or promotion in the last two years.
Respondents were also generally satisfied with their career progression opportunities. Some of the career advancement opportunities respondents expressed the most interest in include: personal development, technical skills training, networking opportunities, mentorship, and salary benchmarks.
By keeping these findings in mind, MSPs can best allocate their budgets to employee advancement initiatives that yield the biggest results—upskilled, satisfied employees and low staff turnover. Read ISACA’s full Tech Workplace and Culture 2025 report here for additional findings and statistics.
