WHAT THE DATA SAY: 69% of hiring managers see widest gap ever between essential skills and the skills young jobseekers possess

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell and Allison Worldwide. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

SOFT SKILLS RULE IN AI ERA

Employers say the biggest hiring gap isn’t AI fluency – it’s human skills, even as workers feel under-supported in the workplace AI transition, according to Harris Poll research with Express Employment International discussed during PRSA’s AI Pulse Session.

• 35% of hiring decision-makers say jobs at their organizations are going unfilled because applicants lack soft skills.
• Hiring managers say “absolutely essential” skills in candidates are work ethic (60%), dependability (59%), willingness to learn (57%), accountability (54%) and communication skills (52%).
• By comparison, only 23% of hiring managers say AI skills are essential for jobseekers.
• 69% of hiring managers say the gap between the skills they see as essential and the skills young jobseekers possess never has been wider.
• 92% of business leaders say they use AI daily or weekly, while 68% of workers say they are navigating the transition to AI largely on their own.
• 41% of employees report zero AI support from their employer during the past 12 months.
• 54% of jobseekers say it will be difficult to find a job in the next six months, and four in 10 say they are actively looking for a new role.
• See also: Top Recruiters Discuss Jobs in the AI Era at PRSA ICON
• See also: 44% of Employers Report Unfilled Roles as Hiring Process Takes Longer

BACK-TO-SCHOOL BUDGETS TIGHTEN

Parents plan to spend less this school year, and rising living costs are pushing more families to hunt for deals, according to our Harris Poll research with NerdWallet.

• Back-to-school shoppers say they’ll spend $611 on average this year on clothing, supplies and books – $130 less than last year and nearly at 2023 levels ($610).
• 25% say they plan to cut back on back-to-school spending because of higher costs of living.
• Deal-seeking is on the rise, with 62% planning to look for sales, up from 52% last year.
• Families are also becoming more resourceful, with 21% planning to seek out free school supplies, 19% planning to buy at least some secondhand clothes and 26% expecting to use tax-free shopping days.
• 51% of parents say they feel overwhelmed by financial requests from their children’s school.

SMALL BUSINESSES ON CYBER ALERT

U.S. small business owners think they are prime targets for cyberattacks, and many do not yet have a response plan, based on our Harris Poll research with Tri Counties Bank.

• 87% of U.S. small business owners say a cyberattack could have severe financial consequences for their business.
• 15% of small business owners say their business experienced a cyberattack in the past three years.
• 72% say malware or malicious software is the cyber risk of greatest concern.
• 73% say they have a plan in place to respond if they experience a cyberattack, and to bolster defense, 59% do regular software updates, 59% require strong passwords, and 52% use network security measures like firewalls or VPNs.

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