Breakfast News - December 2023

The talent landscape is changing faster than ever before. Ageing populations combined with falling birth rates have created an increasing skills gap across many industries. Add to this, a shift in student expectations, an increased focus on skills-based hiring and AI displacement and we face a need for a critical look at the early careers landscape.

In our final Breakfast News of 2023, we heard from progressive people leaders, technologists and industry leaders on their views for the future of early careers talent, in 2024 and beyond. The session was dynamic, thought-provoking, and filled with insights to help companies int heir planning for the upcoming year.

Here are a few highlights from the sessions:

• The ageing population has given rise to an increased need for skills which creates an imperative for us to rethink who and how we recruit for entry-level talent.
• The use of AI in recruitment and in learning and development will continue to grow, but there exists an ongoing debate about its efficacy, which leaves many of us divided.
• Students' self-reported expectations about graduate employment differs from the skills and needs of employers, which leads to an increased importance in experiential learning curricula as a way to bridge the gap.
• A new perspective to consider for employers: should we shift from ‘early careers’ to ‘total talent’ programmes with a focus on embracing more diverse demographic pools?
• Gen A expectations on the meaning of work suggest that employers will need to provide personalised learning pathways, underpinned with authentic communications vis-à-vis their employer brand proposition.
• We are entering a new Moral Age where businesses will need to be very clear on their purpose – new talent will be looking for transparency on this and making decisions based on ethical alignment.

Click the button below to access the event presentation and videos.