Unveiling the Insights Career Network: Who We Are and What We’re Navigating
Get an Unfiltered Look at the Professional Landscape and How ICN is Evolving to Support You.
The Insights Career Network (ICN) represents a dynamic community of research professionals who study markets, users, behaviors, and trends. The ICN Census 2025 is our inaugural comprehensive initiative to gain a deeper understanding of our members’ career trajectories, the challenges they encounter, their future aspirations, and how we can most effectively provide support.
More than 470 ICN members participated in this groundbreaking survey – ok, it’s a “census in spirit” – representing a broad cross-section of experience levels, ages, roles, industries, and employment statuses. From seasoned professionals facing unexpected transitions to early-career seekers taking their first steps, this report captures the richness and the real-world experiences shaping today’s insights community.
The ICN membership and this annual census serve as a vital indicator of the overall health of the insights profession and its workforce. By adopting a “whole-community view,” the census provides critical insights into member satisfaction, identifies unmet needs, and illuminates how ICN can support professionals across various career phases – whether they are focused on skill enhancement, managing career shifts, or exploring alternative professional paths.
A Few Key Findings from the Report:
- Most join ICN for networking and job search support, emphasizing the need for ICN to become an ongoing professional community.
- Nearly half (46%) of ICN members are actively seeking work, many after 9+ months of unemployment.
- Just over 40% of the Employed report high satisfaction with their current situation, but that’s way better than the unemployed, of whom only 5% are very satisfied.
- Emotional and career resilience are tightly linked, with prolonged unemployment significantly impacting satisfaction levels.
- Members are asking for more targeted support, including job matching, mentoring, and skill-building.
- Highly experienced ICN members face a job market where qualifications don’t always translate to opportunity, particularly at senior levels.
Dive into the 2025 ICN Census to understand the diverse backgrounds, challenges, and hopes that define our community, and see how ICN is evolving to be a more responsive and member-driven support system for every career stage.
More Reasons to Download the 2025 ICN Census Report
- Understand the Shifting Landscape: Discover the realities of the current insights job market, including challenges faced by professionals at all career stages.
- Insights into Job Seeking: Learn why nearly half of ICN members are actively seeking work and the emotional and career resilience factors at play.
- Evolving Community Support: Explore how ICN is adapting to provide more targeted support, moving beyond a “stopgap” to an ongoing professional community.
- Beyond Qualifications: Examine the disconnect between high qualifications and current opportunities, especially at senior levels, and how this is shaping career paths.
- Member-Driven Needs: Gain insights into what members are truly asking for – from job matching and mentoring to skill-building – and how ICN can meet these needs.
Prefer someone to tell you about it?
ICN Deck (pdf) | Recording (video)
Hear directly from ICN Census architect and analysts about the findings in the 08.18.25 The ICN Insights Census with ICN Research on Research leaders Tracy Bills and Aditi Tandon
What do leading insights professionals say about the Insights Career Network?
“The ICN is the definitive voice on hiring for the $85B US market” – an experienced insights professional and insights career ally.
“You are the welcome mat for the Insights industry” – an experienced insights ally who wears a white hat in their personal time.