Unstop, a leading talent attraction, assessment, and hiring platform for students and graduates, recently hosted the annual Unstop Talent Meet – Delhi, where it unveiled the Unstop Hiring Kart: Skills & AI Report 2024.

Based on comprehensive surveys of 6,900 GenZ professionals and 610 HR leaders, the report, unveiled by Hidekazu Ito, managing director, Mynavi Solutions India, Pankaj Bansal, founder, PeopleStrong & managing partner, Caret Capital and Ankit Aggarwal, founder-CEO, Unstop, sheds light on the evolving dynamics of skills, AI, and workplace readiness, offering critical insights into the modern talent ecosystem. Unstop has also signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with NSDC, a strategic collaboration which aims to harness the expertise of both organisations to bridge the gap between academia and practical workplace requirements, ensuring the future workforce is ready to navigate the dynamic job market.

The report reveals that 89 percent of GenZs and 68 percent of HR professionals agree that candidates equipped with AI training can command higher salaries. Another major takeaway from Unstop’s report is the growing disparity between academic preparation and corporate expectations. A staggering 45 percent of Arts, Science, and Commerce graduates reported feeling unprepared for the workforce after college, a sentiment echoed by 25 percent of working professionals. Overwhelmingly, both 93 percent of HR professionals and 78 percent of GenZ think that traditional degrees are becoming obsolete, emphasising the urgent need for academia to overhaul curricula to prioritise job readiness.

Further, the report delves into the existing gap in workplace skills. HR professionals ranked analytical skills, teamwork, collaboration, and strategic leadership as the most in-demand yet also the hardest to find. Mentorship emerged as a potential solution, with 74 percent of HRs advocating for structured mentoring programmes. However, GenZ identified a lack of challenges as a key hurdle in their upskilling journeys.

While 46 percent of GenZ prefer skill-based assessments before resume screening, 59 percent of HR leaders conduct these evaluations afterwards. This misalignment underscores the need for organisations to rethink hiring strategies and move toward skill-first approaches. This brought along the next question: Is AI a friend or foe?

The answer is that AI continues to spark polarised opinions, and the report highlights this. While 45 percent of GenZs see Data & AI as indispensable skills, only 14 percent of HR professionals agree. Despite this, 65 percent of HRs report that AI expertise is shaping their hiring strategies, and 6 in 10 HRs use AI tools frequently at work. Yet, concerns around over-reliance on AI persist, with GenZ warning of “intellectual dwarfism” and the risk of stifled creativity.

Sharing his thoughts on the report launch, Ankit Aggarwal, founder-CEO, Unstop said, “The Unstop Hiring Kart: Skills & AI Report 2024 highlights the critical need for a paradigm shift in how we prepare for and evaluate the workplace of tomorrow. GenZ is pushing boundaries, embracing AI, and demanding meaningful skill development. For organisations, this is a wake-up call: adapt hiring strategies, foster continuous learning and champion mentorship. Only by bridging the gap between skills and opportunity can we shape a workforce that thrives in an AI-driven world.”

The report concludes that GenZ is ready to take charge of their future, with 60 percent independently upskilling through online courses, internships, and competitions. They demand organisations step up with role-specific training and continuous learning opportunities. Despite 81 percent of HRs providing these resources, a significant 19 percent of organisations still neglect this critical area of investment.

Derived from the belief to #BeUnstoppable, Unstop is the leading talent attraction, assessment and hiring platform for Gen Zs to learn, upskill, showcase their skills, gain CV points and get hired while unlocking their true potential through their academic journey. With 18 million users, Unstop touches 5 million monthly active users at present. To know more, visit https://unstop.com/hiring-platform.

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