Only 55% of Gen Z in UK Feel Job-Ready as Skills Gap Widens
Only around half of young people in the UK feel they have the skills they need to land a job. With the narrowing of entry-level routes and the growth of AI, earning career-ready skills through professional certifications in tech and project management can open doors for Gen Z career builders and changers.
New figures from the latest Youth Voice Census survey show that only 55% of UK young people believe they have the skills needed to get a job. Digital confidence has also fallen to 54%, exposing a difficult contradiction: employers need skilled people, but young jobseekers are struggling to prove they are ready. A combination of professional certifications and comprehensive career support can be the key to landing a fulfilling job.
Written by
Chelsey Murray is a dedicated Careers Services Consultant at Learning People, bringing a wealth of recruitment experience and deep expertise in the tech and project management job markets.
Gen Z Don’t Know What Employers Want
The Youth Voice Census surveyed 8,278 people aged 11 to 30 across the UK. Fewer than half (49%) said they understood what employers wanted from applicants. Among young people not in education, employment or training, that figure dropped to just 26%.
Confidence falls further when the questions become more specific. Only 60% believed they held the right qualifications, while 50% thought they had enough work experience. The main barriers were a lack of experience at 47%, travel or location at 45%, and missing skills at 35%.
I work with young career-changers every day, helping them to tailor job applications and prepare for interviews, and so I know that this is not simply a crisis of confidence. Young people are receiving a clear message from job descriptions: qualifications alone are not enough. Employers also want practical ability, workplace awareness and evidence that candidates can contribute from day one.
This is why Learning People’s career support is such a crucial part of our students’ success - in fact, 78% of people who enrol with us do so because of Career Services!
Work experience should help close this gap - yet only 26% of young people in education completed a placement during the previous year, despite 74% valuing the opportunity. A third had done no extracurricular, volunteering or social-action activities that could provide further evidence for a CV.
At the same time, only 25% believed employers supported the recruitment of young people, down from 31% in 2024. That creates a readiness trap: applicants in the entry-level job market need experience, but the opportunities to gain it are narrowing.
Employer behaviour appears to be reinforcing the problem. According to an analysis of early-career recruitment by Lewis Silkin, 57% of businesses face skills shortages, yet 43% recruited fewer people over the previous year.
As Technical Expectations Rise, Gen Z’s Digital Confidence Is Falling
Confidence in digital skills dropped from 61% in 2024 to 54% last year. Around 72% felt comfortable using everyday tools such as Word, Excel and presentation software, but only 25% to 30% felt able to code, analyse data or use advanced applications. Although basic digital literacy remains valuable, employers now need specialist capability: this includes human (or soft) skills.
Soft skills carry equal weight. Half of employers believed young entrants were unprepared for working life, while 82% wanted more interpersonal training in communication and management. Crucially, four in five employers remained willing to train young recruits. The appetite exists, but the path into employment is obscured.
Did You Know? 25%+ of Vacancies are Unfilled Because of Skills Shortages
The Skills England Annual Skills Report 2026 found that more than a quarter of vacancies are hard to fill because of skills shortages. Priority occupations in key sectors like tech, construction and defence are projected to grow by around 1.8 million jobs by 2035, a 24% rise from 2025. This shows that if young people have the right skills, a career in tech or project management can be a great choice.
How Young People Can Build Skills Employers Need
For young adults choosing their next step, university is not the only route. Vocational training and recognised certifications can build specific, current skills while producing clearer evidence for employers. Although a certification cannot replace a genuine first opportunity, it can make potential easier to see and a CV harder to overlook. At Learning People, we recognise this and so take our offering to the next level with our comprehensive career support, leading to our 97% employment success rate. Book a free career consultation today to take the first step.
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