A survey of 2,000 employees by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) reveals that 42 per cent of respondents feel they are further behind in their careers than they would like to be at this stage of their lives.

Some employees believe that they have been overlooked for promotion or a pay-rise in the last year because their employer doesn’t have the funds available to pay for them to progress (22 per cent).

Others go further, claiming that their boss is not fighting their corner enough (9 per cent). However, many respondents admit that they need to get more experience (13 per cent), and that they do not have the right training or qualifications (6 per cent) to advance.

Some 29 per cent believe that a professional qualification helps an individual’s ability to lead people, teams and projects, but just 4 per cent of those surveyed are currently studying for a professional qualification and only 12 per cent plan to do so “in the near future”.

Narinder Uppal, director of the Awarding Body at CMI says, ‘It’s too easy to blame others for your own lack of progress, but in a time of tighter budgets and increasing competitiveness in the job market, those people that are prepared to make an effort to improve their skills will be the ones that employers turn to first.’

The survey highlights employees’ recognition that they need to do more to get ahead in their careers, including working overtime on a regular basis (44 per cent), taking on additional responsibility for no extra money (37 per cent) and studying in their spare time for a professional qualification (45 per cent).