a rung on/of the ladder

rung | American Dictionary

rung
us/rʌŋ/

rung (RING)

past participle of ring
rung
noun[ C ]
us/rʌŋ/

rungnoun[C] (STEP)

any of the short bars that form the steps of a ladder (= a device used for climbing), or fig. a level or stage of progress:
fig. Community colleges occupy the lower rung of the state’s higher education system.

rung | Business English

rung
noun[ C ]
 WORKPLACE informaluk /rʌŋ/us
a position in an organization or system with many levels:
the rungs of the ladderI worked my way up every rung of the corporate ladder.
the bottom/top rungs of sthJob replacement primarily occurs at the bottom rungs of the labor market ladder.
the lowest/highest rungsFamilies on the lowest economic rungs will be hit hardest.