Finance, the Top Industry Choice for Young People Globally in 2025

CFA Institute survey revealed that global young adults aged 18-25 years old chose the finance industry as their primary career path in 2025. 37% of respondents were optimistic that the sector offered promising career paths.

According to the CFA Institute, this percentage increased compared to the survey results in 2024 and 2023.

“More than one-third (37%) of those surveyed see finance as the most promising career path—a significant increase from 30% in 2024 and 24% in 2023, a total increase of 54% over the past two years,” stated the CFA Institute in its press release on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

Besides finance, young adults also chose Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as an industry with promising career opportunities.

Here are the top 10 industries chosen by young adults due to their perceived promising career prospects:

1. Finance: 37%

2. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics): 21%

3. IT & Telecommunications: 21%

4. Sales, Media & Marketing: 16%

5. Education: 16%

6. Healthcare: 15%

7. Medicine: 11%

8. Government: 10%

9. Arts & Culture: 8%

10. Human Resources (HR): 8%

Regarding these findings, Margaret Franklin, President and CEO of CFA Institute, stated that increased interest in the finance industry has occurred in recent years.

The finance sector, she continued, also needs more committed young people to help address the social challenges it faces.

“The fact that 93% of graduates expressed a desire to pursue a career that has a positive impact on society is very inspiring and gives me hope for the future of this profession (finance),” she said.

The CFA Institute survey, included in the 2025 Graduate Outlook Survey-Global Report, was conducted online from March 28 to April 22, 2025. A total of 9,023 respondents aged 18-25 from 11 countries participated in this survey.

Respondents were those currently pursuing a bachelor's degree or higher, or those who had graduated with a bachelor's degree or higher within the past 3 years.