A new study by tech training provider General Assembly found that many employees and executives feel today’s entry-level workers lack the readiness for their roles.
Conducted across the US and UK, the research surveyed working adults and mid-level executives to assess workforce preparedness, uncovering concerns about a decline in key skills and the need for employers and educational institutions to play a stronger role in preparing new hires.
Fewer than half (48%) of employees believe entry-level workers are adequately prepared for their roles, while only 12% of mid-level executives feel confident in the preparedness of today’s entry-level workforce.
“The entry-level employee pipeline is broken,” said Jourdan Hathaway, Chief Business Officer at General Assembly. “Companies must rethink how they source, train, and onboard employees. Evidence-based approaches, like technology apprenticeships and skill training programs, can help build communication and collaboration skills alongside technical expertise, closely mimicking a real work environment.”
Reluctance to Hire Entry-Level Talent
The study reveals that more than a quarter (27%) of VPs and directors would not hire today’s entry-level employees, and 23% of working adults expressed similar reluctance. Baby Boomers were the most critical group, with one-third saying they would be hesitant to hire new graduates.
The study highlights a growing concern over soft skills, with 49% of executives and 37% of employees naming them as a primary deficit among entry-level workers. This concern was followed by attitudes to work, cited by 28% of executives and 30% of employees, and finally technical skills, with 13% of executives and 16% of employees feeling they were inadequate.
Notably, 40% of Gen Z respondents, many of whom are early-career employees themselves, agreed that soft skills are the primary shortfall among their peers. These findings underscore a shift in perceptions regarding what entry-level employees bring to the table and what companies expect from new hires.
Inadequate Training and Support
The study suggests a correlation between a lack of training and the perception that new hires are underprepared. One-third of executives (33%) and over a quarter of employees (26%) stated that their employers do not provide adequate training to new employees. Additionally, 58% of those who view entry-level workers as unprepared work at companies that do not invest sufficiently in new hire training.
A significant portion of employees (19%) reported that their employers offer little to no formal training, while over two-fifths of executives (41%) said their companies lack provisions like learning stipends or education budgets for training. Among those who do receive stipends, a notable 43% of employees said they use them only occasionally or not at all, highlighting an underutilisation of training resources.
Responsibility for Workforce Readiness
The study also investigated where the responsibility for workforce preparedness should lie. A majority of employees (64%) and executives (74%) believe that individuals should ultimately bear responsibility for their own job readiness. However, many respondents also indicated that responsibility should be shared with employers and educational institutions. Sixty-three per cent of employees and 66% of executives felt employers should play a significant role, while 53% of employees and 73% of executives viewed educational institutions as key contributors.
Differences emerged between UK and US perspectives on the role of government. In the UK, employees were twice as likely to say that government should support workforce readiness, with 24% compared to 10% of American employees. UK executives were more than seven times more likely than their US counterparts to endorse government intervention in workforce development.
Lupe Colangelo, Director of Alumni Engagement and Employer Partnerships at General Assembly, highlighted the need for systemic change: “When we see a trend impacting so many people, we have to take a step back and consider that the system needs to change. People clearly need more support to enter the workforce and succeed. We can’t expect individual employees to close today’s skills gaps on their own. Businesses, governments, and educational institutions must come together to modernise how we approach workforce readiness.”
