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UK Recruitment Glossary

Internal Mobility

Alex By Alex · 12-year UK recruiter · Updated April 2026

In recruiter context

Strong UK employers have explicit internal mobility programmes — internal job boards, manager-encouraged moves every 18-24 months, secondments to different teams, returnship programmes for parental leave returners. Internal moves typically pay 8-15% rises (less than external moves at 18-30%) but offer continuity of service, pension, holiday accrual, and reduced onboarding cost. UK candidates underuse internal mobility — most apply externally before exploring internal options. The exception: some companies have informal 'tap on the shoulder' cultures where strong performers are offered internal moves; weaker companies leave moves to active employee initiative.

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