Despite widespread concern over talent shortages, millions of capable workers remain overlooked while critical roles go unfilled. In a recent Fast Company op-ed, SkillsRight CEO Debbie Dyson explores why.
As AI, automation and changing workforce dynamics reshape how work gets done, many organizations continue to rely on hiring systems designed for a different era — ones that prioritize degrees and traditional career pathways over demonstrated skills. The result is a labor market where employers struggle to find talent even as qualified workers struggle to access opportunity.
Dyson’s article argues that the challenge is not a shortage of talent, but a failure to recognize, evaluate and connect people with the right skills to the jobs that need them most.
“Adopting a skills-first mindset requires more than removing degree requirements from job postings. It demands a fundamental shift in how organizations define work, assess talent, and create pathways for advancement.”
SkillsRight’s research offers further insight into why this gap persists and what employers can do to close it.
From Skills-First Commitment to Skills-First Action
Support for skills-first hiring is widespread, but consistent implementation remains elusive. SkillsRight’s latest Hiring Managers Survey found that while 86% of hiring managers personally support a skills-first approach, only about one-third apply it consistently across their teams.
Many organizations continue to face challenges aligning hiring processes, talent systems and hiring manager training and practices with their stated goals. As Dyson notes in her article, intent often breaks down in execution.
Moving from commitment to action requires more than updating a policy or removing a degree requirement. It requires rethinking how work is defined, how talent is evaluated and how hiring decisions are made.
Rethinking Job Descriptions to Expand Talent Access
One of the most persistent barriers to skills-first hiring remains the job description itself.
SkillsRight research found that many employer job postings continue to include degree requirements, years-of-experience thresholds or ambiguous language that may unintentionally discourage qualified candidates from applying. In fact, our analysis found that 61% of job descriptions analyzed contained language that could create unnecessary barriers for qualified talent.
At the same time, SkillsRight’s job descriptions research demonstrated that candidates respond more favorably to job postings written using skills-first principles. Skills-based job descriptions improved clarity, increased interest in applying and helped candidates better understand how their qualifications aligned with the role.
When employers rely on outdated proxies for potential, they risk screening out capable talent before candidates ever have an opportunity to demonstrate what they can do.
Modernizing How Employers Assess Skills
Removing barriers is only part of the solution. Employers also need more effective ways to identify and assess the capabilities that matter most.
SkillsRight’s durable skills research found that while employers increasingly value capabilities such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving, many organizations still assess and develop these skills inconsistently. Too often, these skills are evaluated late in the hiring process or through subjective methods that can make it difficult to identify candidate potential.
As AI reshapes work and automates more routine tasks, these human-centered capabilities will become even more important. Employers need more structured and consistent approaches to evaluating both technical and durable skills throughout the talent lifecycle.
Turning Workforce Insights Into Action
“Without the ability to operationalize insight, even well-intentioned strategies stall.”
Organizations today have access to more workforce data, labor market intelligence and talent insights than ever before. The opportunity is not simply to gather information but to use those insights to make better decisions about hiring, workforce planning and talent development.
The employers making the greatest progress are not simply talking about skills-first hiring. They are redesigning processes, redefining roles and building systems that help talent and opportunity connect more effectively.
The shift from strategy to execution is the challenge Debbie highlights in her Fast Company article and one that SkillsRight is helping employers address every day. Through workforce insights, skills intelligence and employer practice change, SkillsRight helps employers operationalize skills-first hiring from redefining roles to redesigning hiring practices and expanding access to talent.
The future of work has already arrived. The organizations that succeed will be those that build hiring systems that recognize skills, expand opportunity and reflect the realities of today’s labor market.
Read Debbie Dyson’s Fast Company op-ed
For a deeper perspective on why hiring systems must evolve alongside the changing nature of work, read Debbie Dyson’s Fast Company op-ed, The Future of Work Is Here, but Hiring Hasn’t Caught Up.
