New research from ECO and The Smarty Train reveals that 56% of Early Careers stakeholders now see ‘Embracing Change’ as the top human skill, up from 41% since 2024

As AI adoption accelerates and the world of work becomes increasingly automated, Early Careers leaders are sending a clear signal: the human skills that matter most to them are changing. New data from the 2026 Early Careers Trends Report reveals a decisive move toward a preference for competencies that enable Early Talent to navigate uncertainty, collaborate effectively and show up with confidence.

At the top of the list of most sought-after human skills? “Embracing change.” Demand for skills like Adaptability and Collaboration has risen dramatically, signalling a shift away from traditionally sought-after skills like Communication toward a more resilient skillset.

Could this sharp rise reflect a broader redefinition of what “future-ready” talent really looks like in the age of AI and workplace transformation?

Unpacking the data:

“Embracing Change” takes the top spot:

Over half of 2025’s Early Careers senior stakeholders most frequently named Embracing Change in their top three soft skills for early talent. This represents a 15 percentage point increase year-on-year (from 41% to 56%).

This growth outpaces all other skills, highlighting just how central adaptability has become in today’s operating environment. 

Collaboration and presence are rising fast: 

Several other human skills also saw strong growth in importance:

“Collaboration” rose from 21% to 38%
“Professional Presence” increased from 21% to 31%
“Storytelling” nearly doubled from 7% to 13%

These shifts reflect growing demand for early talent who can build relationships, communicate with impact and operate confidently in complex organisational environments. 

Only one-third of organisations recruit against a clear skills framework:

Despite this sharpening focus on human skills, just 32% of organisations reported having a fully articulated competency or skills framework that they actively recruit against.

This data reveals a potential disconnect between what leaders say they want from early talent and how consistently those expectations are actually systemically embedded into recruitment and assessment design. 

What are best-practice organisations doing to address shifting skills demands?

Organisations are under growing pressure to hire and develop talent that can adapt, collaborate, and work through uncertainty. Here’s how some global organisations have already begun taking a skills-centric approach: 

• Embed adaptability into assessment design: If “Embracing Change” is now the most sought-after skill, then recruitment processes must explicitly test for it. Review assessment centres, interviews and screening activities to ensure they are measuring how candidates respond to change, ambiguity and unfamiliar scenarios. This moves adaptability from an aspiration into a real selection criterion. Talk to our Early Careers advisory team about rethinking your approach to assessment
  
  
• Rebalance learning toward human capability: As collaboration, communication and professional presence rise in importance, learning design must evolve accordingly. This does not mean removing technical learning, but it does mean giving equal weight to the skills that shape how early talent performs in real organisational contexts. Programmes that blend technical capability with structured development of human skills are better positioned to meet what stakeholders now expect. Read our Critical Skills Guide for inspiration on embedding human skills into programme design
  
  
• Clarify and communicate your skills framework: With only one-third of organisations recruiting against a fully articulated skills framework, this represents a significant opportunity for differentiation. Bringing clarity to the skills you recruit for creates alignment across hiring managers, assessors and learning teams. It also creates transparency for candidates, helping them understand what success truly looks like beyond academic achievement alone. Find out how ECO can help you identify gaps in your skills framework 

Not sure where to start?

The data that informed the 2026 Early Careers Trends Report was collected from over 30 leading global organisations using TST’s Early Careers Optimiser (ECO) methodology. For more information on how ECO has helped organisations build data-driven, human-centred strategies for their Early Careers, talk to our data experts.

Shifting skills gaps in Early Careers represents only part of the challenges facing Early Careers functions in 2026 and beyond. For a comprehensive understanding of all five trends shaping Early Careers, download the 2026 Early Career Trends Report, which includes additional insights, case studies, and actionable recommendations.