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This year's report, based on a national survey of 2,000 U.S. adults — including 1,000 job seekers and 1,000 hiring decision-makers — uncovers key findings on the challenges of skills-based hiring and the clear need for improved tools and practices, including:

• Skills lost in translation: 58% of job seekers say they’re being rejected despite being qualified, and 48% of hiring decision makers admit skilled candidates can miss out simply because they struggle to demonstrate those skills clearly.
• Missing metrics: 77% of job seekers and 69% of hiring decision makers agree that degrees are overvalued in today’s hiring — but most companies haven’t defined what to evaluate instead.
• Referrals still rule: Despite ¾ hiring decision makers saying personal connections aren’t important to the hiring process, 79% admit that final hiring decisions are influenced by personal referrals. 
• AI is creating a trust divide: 57% of job seekers and 47% of hiring decision makers believe AI introduces bias into the hiring process — yet just 1 in 3 companies audit their tools for these potential biases.
• Grads aren’t seen as job-ready: 62% of hiring decision-makers (HDMs) believe universities equip students with job-ready skills—but only 30% say grads actually show up to the role prepared. A top barrier? Soft skills. Just 26% of HDMs see a degree as proof of them, and 38% say those skills are missing from resumes altogether.
• The manager training gap: 1 in 4 non-HR managers receive no training before interviewing job candidates — yet . This is becoming an acute issue with degrees being deprioritized and skills now the focus— but training on how to assess skills not happening and expectations about which skills matter most unclear.

These findings highlight a critical shift in the hiring landscape, signaling the need for organizations to rethink how they evaluate and prioritize skills. Addressing gaps in assessment tools, manager training and hiring practices are essential to building a more effective talent hiring system.