New OneTen Study Uncovers Barriers and Opportunities to Advance Skills-First Hiring

New research reveals strong support from hiring managers for skills-first practices, but gaps in training, systems, and leadership alignment slow progress

NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- OneTen, a nonprofit organization working to unlock career opportunities for talent without four-year degrees, today released "Insights from Hiring Managers: How Employers Can Turn a Skills-First Mindset into Sustained Impact"

Conducted in partnership with Ipsos, the study builds on OneTen's 2023 research into hiring manager perceptions on skills-first hiring—an approach that prioritizes a candidate's skills and abilities rather than traditional criteria such as a four-year degree, years of experience, or job titles. The study uncovers the procedural, personal, and structural factors shaping skills-first practice implementation and the barriers employers must address to advance progress.

While belief in skills-first hiring remains high with 86% of hiring managers supporting the approach, the findings reveal a set of entrenched obstacles that prevent organizations from building and sustaining momentum.

"Belief in skills-first hiring is stronger than ever. However, sustainability and execution remain barriers to success," says Debbie Dyson, CEO of OneTen. "Our research shows that when leaders are aligned around a skills-first strategy, organizations are better positioned to transform their talent pipelines, strengthen retention and drive stronger business performance."

The report outlines a roadmap to help employers overcome the implementation barriers. It urges organizations to align leaders and hiring managers around a clear business case, modernize roles, job descriptions, systems and assessments to focus on skills, and equip hiring managers with the tools, training and internal communications that build confidence in implementing skills-first practices over time.

Key Findings

• Though support for skills-first hiring is widespread, adoption and implementation vary widely. Eighty-six percent of hiring managers surveyed view skills-first hiring positively and 82% express personal interest in adopting it more fully, yet only about one-third say they apply it consistently across their teams.
• Procedural, personal and structural barriers slow progress. Forty percent say it is difficult to assess skills directly, 49% report receiving no formal training in defining skills and 30% say skill requirements in job descriptions are unclear. About one-third fear making the wrong hire and roughly one in five cite resistance from leadership (24%) or peers (23%) and 21% lack internal resources and expertise. Training is a clear unmet need: only about half of managers have received skills-first hiring training, yet more than 70% say they want support, especially in defining and assessing skills.
  
• Perceived benefits are higher among organizations implementing skills-first hiring. Hiring managers at organizations that have fully or partially implemented a skills-first strategy report stronger perceived benefits than those still piloting or not yet implementing the practice: 91% vs. 68% for hiring more qualified candidates, 87% vs. 60% for efficiency, and 86% vs. 58% for retention.
• Legacy processes continue to screen out talent without four-year degrees. Twenty-five percent of job postings still include degree requirements, and 19% of hiring managers say applicants without four-year degrees are screened out before they ever reach them.
• Data and storytelling help build conviction. Hiring managers respond most to messages that emphasize tangible business outcomes from skills-first hiring—such as greater efficiency and lower costs (84%), strong performance (85%) and improved retention (83%)—reinforced by real success stories of skills-first hires.

To learn more and to download the free report, visit OneTen's blog: The Skills-First Belief Gap: Why Hiring Managers Say They Value Skills but (Mostly) Still Hire for Degrees

Methodology

The survey of 400 U.S.-based hiring managers at companies with 500 or more employees was conducted online May 15 to June 2, 2025, and was complemented by qualitative focus groups in June 2025. Hiring managers were defined as respondents at the manager level or above with final or shared hiring decision-making authority for their direct reports. Respondents were not drawn from OneTen coalition companies.

About OneTen

OneTen is a nonprofit organization committed to unlocking opportunity for talent without four-year degrees. As a coalition, we work with leading CEOs and their companies to transform hiring and advancement practices through skills-first strategies and connect talent without traditional college degrees to in-demand jobs at America's top employers. OneTen is dedicated to closing the opportunity gap for all talent without traditional college degrees. By prioritizing skills over degrees, we can create greater economic mobility for talent while investing in America's workforce. Join us at OneTen.org , where one can be the difference.

SOURCE OneTen