The evidence below emphasises the growing demand for the skills and qualities trained and coached on the 50 Moves Ahead programme.

​​​

In 2026, UK employers have expressed growing concern that recent graduates are increasingly lacking "durable" human skills, despite meeting expectations in technical areas. Recent reports highlight a widening gap between academic achievement and workplace readiness. 

​

​Soft skills matter now more than ever​ - Harvard Business Review

(August 2025): Research published by HBR highlights that "foundational skills" like collaboration and adaptability may now be more critical for long-term career success than specialized technical knowledge.​

​

Almost half of employers think graduates 'lack resilience'  (Times Higher Education)

​

• "2026 could be crisis year for UK's graduate workforce" (City AM, Jan 2026): Discusses how "Big Four" firms (KPMG, EY, PwC) are scaling back graduate intakes as AI automates routine tasks, making human-centric skills like ethical judgment and initiative even more critical for those who are hired.

​​

• "Is career readiness in decline?" (ISE, 2025/2026): This ongoing research notes that the decline of the "Saturday job" has left young people less prepared for professional life than previous generations.

​​

• SME Skills Horizon 2025/26 (GOV.UK): Small and medium businesses are increasingly prioritizing "personality fit" (22%) over particular qualifications (12%), seeking graduates who align with company values and show courage and initiative.

​​

• Resilience & Self-Awareness: A 2025/26 Institute of Student Employers (ISE) survey found that 54% of employers believe graduates do not meet expectations in self-awareness, while 46% report a lack of resilience.

​​

• Work-Appropriate Communication: Concern over verbal communication skills rose significantly to 22% in 2025, compared to just 7% in 2023.

​​

• Employers say graduates lack key skills says ISE survey (LinkedIn)

​

• Critical Thinking & Teamwork: Research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) indicates that nearly 80% of employers believe students are not fully work-ready, specifically citing gaps in teamwork (58%) and critical thinking (54%).

​​

• Confidence & Initiative: UK graduates score lower on "generating new ideas" and "maintaining good working relationships" compared to global peers, suggesting they may be less comfortable challenging the status quo or acting as change agents.

​​

• Reliability & Emotional Intelligence: Prospects Luminate reports that graduates often lack the emotional intelligence required to handle complexity, partly because they are less able to "absorb" these skills naturally through osmosis in remote or hybrid working environments.

​​

• LinkedIn Global Talent Trends (2026): This report indicates that 92% of hiring managers now consider soft skills like communication and critical thinking to be as important as, or more important than, technical skills.

​

• World Economic Forum (WEF) Future of Jobs Report 2025/2026: Identifies analytical thinking, resilience, and flexibility as the top core skills required by workers today.

​

• Fortune 500 Recruiters: A 2025/2026 survey found problem-solving to be the top skill valued by these recruiters, surpassing even AI expertise.

​

• Deloitte: Found that organizations prioritizing strong communication and collaboration strategies see a 20–25% boost in team productivity.

​​​​

• Totaljobs: Research from late 2025 shows that skills-based hiring is the top priority for 43% of businesses in 2026, with problem-solving and communication at the top of their target list.

​

• Hays UK 2026 Skills Report: Identifies adaptability, communication, and emotional intelligence as the top three soft skills required to future-proof careers this year.

​​

• Totaljobs (November 2025): Reports that 43% of UK businesses have made skills-based hiring their top priority for 2026, with soft skills like problem-solving and collaboration at the top of their target lists.

​​​​​​

• City of London/Nesta Research: Found that 74% of employers prioritize transferable skills equal to or above technical skills when recruiting.​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​

• The Body Shop: Utilizes an "Open Hiring" policy that focuses on trust, reliability, and potential rather than traditional background checks

​

Soft skills have been defined as “non-technical skills that relate to how you work” and include problem solving, critical thinking, influencing, being creative and resourceful, interpersonal skills and managing your time.

​Long considered a “nice-to-have” in a job applicant, soft skills are the new “must-have” for employers.  In a world that is in constant motion, the ability to adapt to change is critical to any new hire, regardless of industry or specialty.

​And, employers have spoken. According to a Gallup poll, while 96% of university leaders believe they’re preparing students for the workplace, only 11% of business leaders strongly agree.  In fact, 91% of employers “agree that to achieve success at their companies, a candidate’s demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex programs is more important than his or her undergraduate major.”

Forbes

 

Just 13% of graduates were seen by HR as “ready to hit the ground running” when they entered the workplace.  The key skills HR professionals believed the graduate workforce was lacking included leadership (cited by 48% of HR managers), negotiation (44%) and strategy and planning (38%).

 

Pearson Business School Research​​