2012 ICF Global Coaching Study

In June 2012 the International Coach Federation (ICF) commissioned an ambitious piece of industry research into coaching. The research was completed by PricewaterhouseCoopers and responses were completed by over 12,000 coaches from 117 countries in 9 languages worldwide.

Out of these, 7,700 responses were from ICF members, 52% of these were based in North America and 16% in Western Europe. The initial executive summary highlights the following :

• From the research and extrapolating the figures it is estimated that there are 47,500 professional coaches worldwide.
• Coaches seem to be most active in the higher income regions of North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand and as such are not evenly distributed around the world. 
• Outside the higher income regions coaching is experiencing rapid growth for example in Latin America and the Caribbean. 
• The slowest growing region appears to be Western Europe.
• Overall positive balances in the trend indicators clearly point to a profession that is continuing to grow through difficult economic times. 
• From the study, the report estimates global coaching revenues to be close to US$2billion, this excludes any associated consulting or training revenues that may also provide professional coaches with income. 
• The report states Coaches are looking confidently to the future, with expectations over the next 12 months of increasing demand (clients and sessions) leading to growth in annual revenue and income from coaching. 
• And the ‘key issues for the future include tackling obstacles such as untrained individuals who call themselves coaches and availing of opportunities to increase awareness of the benefits of coaching in terms of return on investment (ROI) and return on expectations (ROE).

The full report is due in the coming weeks. 

ICF Global Coaching Study: Executive Summary

I am an engineer - a Chartered Engineer, qualified separately with two professional bodies. It hurts me to see the title "engineer" bandied about. If all the people calling themselves engineers were laid end to end .... finish the joke yourself.

I was piqued to see your estimate of 47,500 coaches worldwide. If I were to lay end to end every person I have met in the past 2 years of jobseeking who claims to be a "coach", I reckon I could bite a fair chunk out of the 47.5k, in Dublin alone.

I am almost guilty myself, in that I have coached some people. I have training in business, management and leadership, but I am aware of my deficit in the coaching domain.

Two of my recent encounters stand out, both women who have done coaching courses, but are otherwise pretty short of education. Something like the gloss coat without primer or undercoat.

So I would support your efforts to professionalise, but warn you not to hold your breath.

Apols if this contri looks incoherent, but it is hard to edit through a postage-stamp sized window!
by John Lysaght at 8 April 2012 07:06