Category: Talent Acquisition Strategy

Project RPO in India Solves a Healthcare Tech Company’s Global Talent Challenges

Posted on by akessler
Project RPO in India Solves a Healthcare Tech Company's Global Talent Challenges

Project RPO in India

Project RPO in India Solves a Healthcare Tech Company’s Global Talent Challenges

Through a tailored project RPO in India, PeopleScout successfully recruited niche IT professionals across three Indian cities, coordinating complex interview schedules across three time zones.

Situation

A healthcare technology company needed a trusted recruitment partner to support their demand for skilled technology professionals across multiple Indian cities, including Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Their hiring needs ranged from technical consultants and senior database administrators to network engineers, software packagers, and senior business architects—all critical roles in the digital healthcare delivery chain.

The challenge was not just to find niche IT talent but since these roles support global operations for the client, they also needed help managing a complex, multi-location hiring process that spanned three time zones, including candidate pipelines in Finland. Coordinating interview schedules, managing time-sensitive communications, and ensuring a seamless experience for candidates and hiring panels required a recruitment partner with agility, precision and global alignment.

Solution

To meet the client’s technology hiring needs, PeopleScout deployed project RPO in India through our  Recruiter On-Demand™ (ROD) solution, tailored for the healthcare domain. Our delivery team collaborated with the client’s internal talent acquisition function, ensuring that all requisitions were aligned with the client’s project demands and compliance protocols.

One of the key aspects of our approach was the end-to-end coordination of interview logistics, including aligning schedules across Indian Standard Time (IST), Eastern European Time for operations in Finland, and U.S. time zones. This required meticulous planning and proactive communication to ensure a smooth interview process and minimal delays.

Additionally, PeopleScout provided strategic talent sourcing support to attract highly skilled professionals for roles such as senior database admins, business analysts, and senior business architect, utilizing a combination of targeted outreach, talent mapping and employer branding techniques to engage the ideal candidates. Our team also conducted pre-screens and assessments, ensuring candidates were not only technically sound but also culturally aligned with the client’s values and work ethos.

Results

The success of the engagement was evident through positive feedback from both the candidate community and the client’s interview panelists. Our ability to streamline interview coordination across borders and source high-quality candidates helped reduce time-to-fill for several critical roles.

Impressed by the quality of talent delivered and the professionalism in execution, the client extended PeopleScout’s mandate, increasing the volume and scope of roles. We are now managing end-to-end candidate sourcing for a broader set of positions, serving as a trusted advisor to the client’s talent acquisition leaders for both immediate needs and long-term workforce planning.

This collaboration not only addressed the client’s initial hiring challenge but also laid the foundation for a scalable recruitment strategy that aligns with their mission to transform healthcare through technology.

At a Glance

  • COMPANY
    Healthcare Technology Company
  • INDUSTRY
    Technology
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Amplifiers
  • LOCATIONS
    Multiple locations across India, including Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad
  • ABOUT THE CLIENT
    As a leading data, analytics, and technology partner to the global healthcare industry, this organization is helping the healthcare sector—from providers and payers to public health institutions—make smarter decisions that improve patient outcomes and drive innovation. With a workforce of approximately 3,000 employees spread across five locations in three countries, they play a pivotal role in shaping the future of digital healthcare transformation.
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Scaling Healthcare Recruitment in India: Meeting Regional Challenges with Local Solutions

Posted on by akessler
Scaling Healthcare Recruitment in India: Meeting Regional Challenges with Local Solutions

Healthcare Recruitment in India

Scaling Healthcare Recruitment in India: Meeting Regional Challenges with Local Solutions

Through a strategic healthcare recruitment initiative in India, PeopleScout delivered qualified multilingual talent for 220+ hearing clinics while maintaining less than 5% candidate drop-off rate.

Situation

A hearing care provider was looking to deepen its reach across India where it operates over 220 clinics, providing expert audiological services and a diverse range of hearing aids to customers with varying degrees of hearing loss.

The organization was encountering significant challenges in recruiting for customer-facing roles, especially in certain cities. These roles not only required professionals with strong service acumen but also with regional language proficiency to deliver personalized care. Given the diversity of the Indian landscape—linguistically and culturally—recruiting the right talent with the appropriate communication skills became a critical priority.

Simultaneously, the client was undergoing a restructuring of its sales and administrative delivery model, thereby requiring urgent, geography-specific hires to avoid any disruption in service continuity and sales performance.

The client needed a recruitment partner who could mobilize quickly, understand local hiring dynamics and execute with precision.

Solution

The client engaged PeopleScout to deliver targeted recruitment process outsourcing in India. Our team collaborated with the client’s HR and talent acquisition leaders to map out hiring demand by geography, clinic size and role type.

We were tasked with hiring for three key roles—customer service executives, customer advisors, and healthcare roles like audiologists—with specific requirements around language fluency, cultural fit and interpersonal skills. PeopleScout leveraged its deep network of recruiters across India, implementing a hyperlocal sourcing strategy and tapping into regional job portals, local social media groups and community networks.

Additionally, we conducted structured pre-screening assessments to ensure that candidates met both the soft skills and technical criteria. Throughout the process, we maintained seamless coordination with the client’s talent acquisition team, ensuring a positive candidate experience and minimizing drop-offs.

Results

Through this partnership, PeopleScout was able to accelerate the client’s hiring timelines, meeting and exceeding expectations for the swift placement of qualified talent in hard-to-fill geographies. We helped ensure uninterrupted operations at the clinic level, enhancing the client’s customer satisfaction levels.

Our proactive approach to candidate engagement and regional customization resulted in less than 5% candidate drop-off rate and consistently high feedback from the client’s hiring managers.

The strategic alignment between our delivery teams and the client’s evolving needs allowed us to expand our delivery—demonstrating our flexibility commitment, and value as a long-term talent partner. PeopleScout continues to scale its support for this client across India, delivering talent that aligns with the client’s mission of accessible, personalized hearing care.

At a Glance

  • COMPANY
    Medical Device Company
  • INDUSTRY
    Healthcare
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Recruitment Process Outsourcing
  • LOCATIONS
    220 clinics across India
  • ABOUT THE CLIENT
    As part of a globally renowned hearing care conglomerate, the client is a pioneer in digital hearing aid technology with a strong presence across 29 countries and a workforce of 16,000 employees worldwide. Headquartered in Italy, the organization is dedicated to transforming lives through personalized hearing care solutions.
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Project Recruitment in India: Solving a Global Fintech’s Hiring Challenges

Posted on by akessler
Project Recruitment in India: Solving a Global Fintech's Hiring Challenges

Project RPO

Project Recruitment in India: Solving a Global Fintech’s Hiring Challenges

PeopleScout’s tailored project recruitment in India enabled a fintech organization to scale hiring operations while maintaining quality during peak demand periods.

Situation

A leading global fin-tech organization was experiencing rapid digital transformation and market expansion on top of seasonal spikes in hiring demand and the ongoing need to acquire niche technology talent. These included complex roles in cyber security, AWS, product development, quality assurance and product management.

The internal talent acquisition team was struggling to manage surge hiring, maintain speed without compromising on quality and find specialized talent within India’s highly competitive technology landscape. Another critical issue was navigating the long notice periods in India, which often led to candidate drop-offs and delays in onboarding.

The company turned to PeopleScout for a flexible, high-touch recruitment solution that would strengthen their talent pipeline while also acting as a consultative partner to manage local market complexities.

Solution

To meet these objectives, PeopleScout deployed our Recruiter On-Demand™ (ROD) solution tailored to suit the client’s business and talent priorities. Our India-based team partnered with their internal talent acquisition function, aligning on hiring needs, internal processes and cultural expectations.

The engagement focused on recruiting for tech and digital talent including over 35 critical roles across technology, technical support, production support and solutions consulting. PeopleScout’s recruiters operated as an extension of the client’s talent acquisition team, offering end-to-end support from requisition intake to offer rollout—ensuring strict adherence to policies, brand voice and compliance standards.

Leveraging the client’s global EVP and employer branding strategies, PeopleScout recruiters enhanced candidate outreach across major platforms like LinkedIn and Naukri, a leading employment website in India, resulting in stronger engagement and improved visibility among passive candidates. The team also worked proactively to identify strategies to mitigate notice period risks, thereby improving offer-to-join conversion rates.

Results

Through the ROD partnership, PeopleScout enabled the organization to scale hiring operations with agility and control, ensuring consistent quality while managing peak season demands. The seamless collaboration between their internal teams and PeopleScout recruiters contributed to faster turnaround times, better candidate experiences and higher stakeholder satisfaction.

PeopleScout’s India-based delivery team evolved into a trusted advisor to the client’s talent acquisition leadership, offering strategic insights on local talent market trends, salary benchmarks and onboarding practices. This guidance has been instrumental in mitigating the impact of long notice periods, allowing the client to make informed decisions around offer strategy and candidate engagement.

At a Glance

  • COMPANY
    Global FinTech
  • INDUSTRY
    Technology
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Amplifiers
  • LOCATIONS
    India
  • ABOUT THE CLIENT
    A global leader in technology-driven payment solutions that enable smart and secure money movement. With a strong presence in over 200 countries and operations in more than 140 currencies, the client has established an international footprint backed by a global workforce of 2,000+ employees spread across 36 locations.
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Bridging the Gap: Modular RPO for Hard-to-Fill Positions 

Posted on by akessler

The competition for skilled talent continues to intensify, with LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends reporting that 76% of hiring managers struggle to find qualified candidates for their most challenging positions. This talent shortage affects organizations across industries, particularly when recruiting for roles requiring specialized knowledge, rare skill combinations, or experience in emerging fields. 

Many internal recruitment teams excel at handling standard hiring needs but face significant challenges with specialist or hard-to-fill positions. According to a recent McKinsey survey, 68% of talent acquisition leaders acknowledge limitations within their teams when tackling these difficult searches. Even well-resourced internal teams may lack the specialized networks, market insights and targeted approaches needed to successfully attract candidates for these positions. 

This is where modular RPO solutions offer strategic value. Unlike traditional full-service RPO (recruitment process outsourcing) models, modular RPO allows organizations to selectively outsource specific components of their recruitment process. This targeted approach enables companies to augment their in-house capabilities with external expertise precisely where they need additional support, while maintaining control over their broader recruitment strategy and employer brand. 

Build vs. Buy: The Case for Modular RPO  

Building in-house capabilities to handle all recruitment challenges involves substantial investment that may not deliver optimal returns. Organizations must consider whether dedicating internal resources to occasional hard-to-fill roles makes financial sense, especially when these specialized recruitment needs fluctuate. 

Modular RPO solutions provide a flexible alternative that complements existing recruitment teams. Benefits include: 

  • On-demand access to specialized expertise without increasing permanent headcount 
  • Scalable support that adjusts to hiring volume fluctuations 
  • Predictable fee structures for better budget management 
  • Ability to keep in-house recruiters focused on positions where they excel 

For challenging recruitment needs—particularly those that are intermittent or require specialized approaches—modular RPO delivers compelling value through faster hiring, higher-quality candidates and a cost structure that aligns with actual business demands. 

Use Cases for Modular RPO 

Understanding which roles or parts of your recruitment process would benefit most from modular RPO interventions, like PeopleScout Amplifiers™, is the first step toward an effective talent acquisition strategy. Here are just a few areas where an RPO partner can deliver value: 

In-Demand Technical Roles & Emerging Skill Sets with Limited Talent Pools 

Modular RPO solutions excel when it comes to sourcing positions in high-demand technical domains like software development, cybersecurity, data science and cloud architecture. This approach is particularly valuable when recruiting for emerging specialties with limited talent pools like quantum computing specialists, blockchain developers or AI ethics experts. 

These specialized roles require targeted sourcing strategies and access to niche communities. Rather than having your in-house recruiters spend extensive time finding and engaging passive candidates, consider outsourcing the sourcing stage through a modular RPO engagement. For example, PeopleScout’s Talent Sourcing solution provides dedicated recruitment specialists who identify qualified candidates and generate excitement about your opportunities. This delivers a personalized candidate experience while providing you with a curated list of qualified, enthusiastic applicants. 

Positions with Compliance Requirements 

Industries like healthcare, financial services and pharmaceuticals operate under strict regulatory frameworks that add complexity to the hiring process. Beyond finding qualified talent, recruiters must navigate industry-specific regulations and compliance requirements, as well as ensuring candidates have necessary certifications. Even in less regulated industries and high-volume hiring scenarios, recruiters are required to ensure confirm background checks and right-to-work document verification has been completed.  

Modular RPO solutions can target these specific administrative compliance tasks without requiring a full-scale outsourcing engagement. PeopleScout’s Recruiter On-Demand™ solution allows you to supplement your team with experienced project-based recruitment professionals. This solution can be implemented quickly for short-term needs, giving you targeted RPO benefits precisely where they’re needed in your recruitment process. 

Roles Requiring Specialized Assessment Solutions 

Positions that require unique assessment approaches—such as technical roles requiring coding tests or roles demanding simulation exercises—benefit from RPO providers with expertise in designing and delivering custom talent assessment solutions. These partners can create evaluation protocols that effectively measure both technical competencies and cultural fit. 

Assessment-focused modular RPO services can help organizations implement tailored evaluation methods. For example, PeopleScout’s Assessment Transformation helps organizations deploy talent assessments that not only enhance the recruitment experience for candidates but also accurately assess candidate capabilities. By outsourcing just this component of the recruitment process, you can enhance your ability to identify truly qualified candidates with the right skills and aptitudes. 

Strategic Advantages of Modular RPO 

Organizations that strategically leverage modular RPO gain a significant advantage in securing hard-to-find talent. By selectively enhancing your recruitment capabilities with specialized expertise exactly where needed, you can overcome persistent hiring challenges while maximizing the effectiveness of your internal team. 

Ready to transform your approach to hard-to-fill roles? Explore PeopleScout’s Amplifiers™ suite of modular RPO solutions, designed to provide targeted expertise exactly when and where you need it most.  

The Essential Guide to Employer Branding From Concept to Competitive Advantage 

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The Essential Guide to Employer Branding 

From Concept to Competitive Advantage

In today’s competitive talent landscape, your employer brand isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential for survival. Our comprehensive ebook delivers actionable strategies to revolutionize how candidates perceive your organization.

 

Why This Guide Matters to Your Organization:

  • 82% of candidates research your reputation before applying
  • Companies with strong employer brands see a 43% decrease in cost-per-hire
  • Yet only 8% of HR leaders have dedicated employer branding budgets

 

What You’ll Discover:

  • Proven frameworks to align your employer brand with business objectives
  • Practical strategies to authentically showcase your culture across channels
  • Step-by-step approaches to measure and optimize your employer brand ROI
  • Real-world case studies from organizations that transformed their talent attraction

 

While your competition invests in employer branding, can you afford to fall behind? Download our guide today and build the magnetic employer brand your organization deserves.

Beyond Intuition: Data-Driven Employer Branding for the Modern Talent Landscape 

Posted on by akessler

With the research today’s candidates do before applying, a strong employer brand is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Your employer brand directly impacts your ability to attract and retain top talent, yet for many talent acquisition leaders, demonstrating the value of employer branding remains challenging.  

How do you quantify something that often feels intangible? How do you translate employer brand sentiment into metrics that resonate with stakeholders outside HR? 

The Employer Branding Paradox 

Despite 80% of HR leaders believing employer branding significantly impacts their recruiting efforts, only 8% report having a dedicated budget for these initiatives. This disconnect highlights a fundamental challenge: without concrete metrics and benchmarks, employer branding can be relegated to a “nice-to-have” rather than recognized as the strategic driver of recruitment success that it truly is. 

The reality is that today’s candidates approach job searches with consumer-like behavior. They research, compare and evaluate potential employers with unprecedented thoroughness.  

Your employer brand is front and center whether you’re actively managing it or not. 

From Gut Feel to Data-Driven Strategy 

For too long, employer branding has relied on subjective assessments and anecdotal evidence. Leaders might know intuitively that their brand needs improvement, but without comparative data, it’s difficult to: 

  • Identify specific areas requiring attention 
  • Prioritize investments for maximum impact
  • Demonstrate ROI to key stakeholders 
  • Track progress over time 
  • Understand how you stack up against competitors 

This is precisely why we’ve developed the Outthink Index—a proprietary benchmarking tool designed to transform employer branding strategy from an art to a science. 

Introducing the Outthink Index by PeopleScout 

The Outthink Index by PeopleScout provides comprehensive analysis across nine critical components of employer branding: 

  1. Search: Are your job openings easy to find in digital spaces? 
  2. Social Reach: What’s the breadth of your social media footprint? Are you achieving significant reach through interactions and engagement across audiences? 
  3. Social Authority: How much of the conversation does your brand own compared to competitors? How influential is your voice in the talent marketplace? 
  4. Social Impact: How effectively does your content engage your audience? Are you interacting with your talent audience on social media or just posting? 
  5. Values & Proposition: How clearly articulated and differentiated is your EVP? Are your values clear, authentic and evidenced? 
  6. Employee Experience: Can candidates get a clear understanding of what life is like within your organization?  
  7. Content: How compelling and relevant is your employer brand content? How authentically does it showcase your organization and your employees? 
  8. User Experience: How seamless and intuitive is your career site and application process?   
  9. Candidate Experience: How transparent, consistent and innovative is your recruitment process? 

Built by our in-house talent advisory experts and leveraging data from hundreds of employer brands, the Outthink Index delivers actionable insights with just a few clicks. 

Translating Insights to Action 

One of the most valuable aspects of the Outthink Index is its comparative nature. While self-assessment can identify obvious gaps, true optimization comes from understanding how you measure against both industry benchmarks and specific competitors. 

The real power of data-driven employer branding isn’t just in the metrics—it’s in what you do with them. The Outthink Index is designed to facilitate more productive conversations with stakeholders by providing concrete evidence of: 

  • Current employer brand strengths and weaknesses 
  • Competitive positioning within your industry 
  • Specific improvement opportunities with the highest potential ROI 
  • Progress tracking over time 

The Outthink Index helps companies to transcend gut instincts and harness concrete insights to maximize their employer brand. It provides organizations with precise visibility into how their brand measures up against competitors, highlights specific enhancement opportunities, and ultimately strengthens their capacity to attract and retain exceptional talent. 

Armed with these insights, talent leaders can make more strategic decisions about where to invest resources, how to refine messaging and which touchpoints in the candidate journey need the most attention.  

The Future of Employer Branding is Data-Driven 

Employer branding isn’t a one-time project but an ongoing strategic initiative. The Outthink Index provides both a snapshot of current performance and a framework for optimizing and measuring progress over time. By establishing clear benchmarks today, organizations can track the impact of their employer branding initiatives, demonstrate concrete ROI and continuously refine their approach. 

As the competition for talent continues to intensify, organizations that take a data-driven approach to employer branding will gain a significant advantage. The Outthink Index by PeopleScout equips talent leaders with the tools they need to transform employer branding from an intangible concept to a measurable business driver. 

Want to see how your employer brand stacks up? Explore the Outthink Index or contact us to receive your custom report. 

Wates: Reconstructing Industry Perceptions Through Vibrant Employer Branding

Posted on by akessler
Wates: Reconstructing Industry Perceptions Through Vibrant Employer Branding

Early Careers

Wates: Reconstructing Industry Perceptions Through Vibrant Employer Branding

PeopleScout helped Wates to attract and engage a wider range of candidates to the male-dominated construction industry through a vibrant and inclusive employer brand and assessment center.

7,918 applications generated (30% from women)
343 candidates assessed
1 / 3 of offers went to women despite being underrepresented in the industry

Situation

The construction industry’s image has remained virtually unchanged for years—dominated by hard-hats, high-vis, and steel beams rather than stories highlighting inclusion, innovation, collaboration or opportunity.

When Wates, a UK development, building and property maintenance company, needed to recruit 81 trainees across 21 roles and 28 locations, our priority was to stand out meaningfully in a crowded market. Despite its impressive 125-year legacy as an industry leader, Wates suffered from limited brand awareness.

Our objectives were clear:

  • Raise overall awareness of the Wates organization
  • Encourage a shift in industry perception
  • Attract a more diverse range of candidates

Solution

With these hard-to-fill roles distributed nationwide, we needed a targeted approach. Based on research, we developed four distinct audience personas that represented our target demographics, which then informed our channel strategy and creative approach.

Authentic Messaging

We crafted a new compelling, narrative that brought together everything Wates stands for:

Creating tomorrow together.

Headlines embodied Wates’ core values, speaking directly to the impact individuals would have on the company’s legacy while highlighting key benefits of joining the organization.

Distinctive Visual Identity

We developed bold, vibrant visuals that stood apart from industry norms. Our creative approach demonstrated how professional and personal lives intertwine, visually representing work-life balance and inclusivity. A dedicated photoshoot allowed us to not only capture images but also collect employee stories that inspired a bespoke set of illustrations.

Inclusive Assessment Process

We redesigned the video interview process to ensure accessibility for all candidates. While maintaining a standardized process to ensure fairness, each of the 21 roles required careful manual shortlisting based on performance metrics. With 343 candidates advancing to assessment, we conducted virtual assessment centers over three weeks, with each role getting a dedicated day.

Results

The campaign generated exceptional engagement:

  • 518,000 impressions (40% from TikTok)
  • 7,918 applications
  • 2,022 candidates invited to video interview
  • 343 candidates progressed to assessment centers
  • 30% female representation at application stage, increasing to 34% at offer stage
  • 117 offers extended

“We’re delighted with the quality of candidate applications and how much the collaborative work ethic stood out.”

– Annette, Wates

At a Glance

  • COMPANY
    Wates
  • INDUSTRY
    Building & Construction
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Talent Advisory
  • ABOUT WATES
    The Wates Group was established in 1897 and is one of the leading privately-owned, construction, development and property services companies in the UK. They employ almost 6,000 people, working with a range of clients and partners from across the public and private sectors.
Let’s Connect

The Future of Early Careers: Preparing Our Children for Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet 

Posted on by akessler

By James Chorley, Talent Solutions Director 

My children are about eight to nine years away from entering the world of work. As a parent, it’s both exciting and daunting to think about the future careers of my children. With rapid advancements in technology and shifts in the global economy, the job market of today will undoubtedly look very different in 10 years when my kids are entering the workforce.  

While automation will displace many jobs, it will also create new jobs, generating significant benefits for businesses and economies by lifting productivity and economic growth. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, by 2030, the creation of 170 million new jobs (14% of today’s employment), offset by the displacement of 92 million current jobs (8%), will result in net growth of 78 million jobs (7%). 

For organisations with early careers programmes, understanding these shifts is crucial. The pipeline of emerging talent will need different skills, experiences and expectations than previous generations in order to have the capabilities necessary drive organisational success in the coming decades. Here are some key insights into how the changing job landscape will impact early careers programmes, the types of roles that will emerge and how to prepare the next generation of talent. 

Jobs That Might Disappear 

As technology continues to evolve, several traditional roles are projected to decline significantly: 

  • Postal Workers: The rise of digital communication methods and automated sorting systems are already reducing the reliance on traditional postal services. The World Economic Forum identifies Postal Service Clerks among the fastest-declining roles in the job market. 
  • Print Journalists: The decline of print media and the shift towards digital news consumption has led to fewer opportunities for print journalists, with many news outlets now digital-first or entirely online. 
  • Community Banking: The increase in online banking, mobile banking apps and ATMs has reduced the need for in-person bank tellers. Bank Tellers are among the fastest-declining roles globally. 
  • Travel Agents: Online travel booking platforms and AI-driven travel assistants are making traditional travel agent roles less common. 
  • Taxi Drivers: The rise of ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft, combined with the development of autonomous vehicles, could significantly reduce the demand for traditional taxi drivers. 
  • Telemarketers & Customer Service Reps: AI-driven customer service and sales platforms, along with stricter regulations on telemarketing, are reducing the need for human telemarketers and customer service workers, often a common first job for many young professionals. 
  • Librarians: Digital libraries and online information resources are diminishing the need for traditional librarian roles, though there will still be a need for digital information specialists. 
  • Factory and Assembly Line Workers: Robotics and advanced manufacturing technologies are increasingly handling tasks that once provided steady employment for those entering the workforce without higher education. 
  • Data Entry Clerks: The World Economic Forum lists Data Entry Clerks among the jobs seeing the largest decline due to automation and AI advancements. 
  • Retail Cashiers: The rise of e-commerce and self-service kiosks in retail stores are diminishing these roles, which have historically provided flexible employment for students and recent graduates. 

Whilst some of these roles may not be considered ‘career roles’, they are an important step on the work ladder for early careers talent. Before I found my feet and whilst still deciding what I wanted to do, I had a number of temp roles doing data entry, customer service and telemarketing. Declining numbers in these roles that have historically served as steppingstones for early careers talent could have significant impact on early careers employees and employers. 

Impact on Early Careers Programmes 

The decline in these traditional entry-level roles presents significant challenges for early careers recruitment strategies: 

  • Shrinking Entry Points: Many traditional entry-level positions for graduates and school leavers are disappearing. This means fewer natural entry points into organisations, requiring companies to create more structured early careers pathways. 
  • Skills Gap Widening: As routine tasks become automated, the skills gap between education and employment is growing. Entry-level roles increasingly require more advanced technical skills and digital literacy from day one. 
  • Higher Expectations for Early Talent: With fewer administrative or process-driven roles available, early careers talent is expected to add value more quickly, often needing to demonstrate complex problem-solving and critical thinking skills immediately. 
  • Reimagining Work Experience: Companies must rethink work experience, internships and placement years to provide meaningful exposure to emerging technologies and future-focused skills that automation cannot easily replace. 
  • Increased Competition: As traditional entry points decrease, competition for remaining early careers opportunities intensifies, making employer branding and candidate experience more critical than ever. 

To address these challenges, early careers programmes must evolve. Talent acquisition leaders should consider creating rotational experiences that expose emerging talent to a variety of business functions, developing accelerated digital upskilling programmes, and establishing mentorship opportunities that help bridge the experience gap. 

Jobs That Will Significantly Change for Early Careers Talent 

According to McKinsey Global Institute, at least 30% of work activities that could be automated for about 60% of occupations. Rather than complete displacement, many entry-level and early career roles will undergo significant transformation. 

  • Junior Healthcare Professionals: The integration of telemedicine, AI diagnostics, and wearable health technology are changing how healthcare is delivered. Early careers talent will need to be comfortable with digital patient management systems and telehealth platforms from day one.  
  • Teachers and Educators: The rise of online education, virtual classrooms, and AI-driven personalised learning experiences are transforming teaching. New educators will need to be proficient in digital tools and platforms, incorporating technology into their teaching methods and focusing on facilitating learning rather than just delivering knowledge. 
  • Manufacturing and Production Workers: Technological advancements in AI, robotics, and automation will drive both job creation and decline, with manufacturing roles evolving to focus more on overseeing and maintaining automated systems. Early careers talent in this sector will need skills in robotics, programming and systems management rather than traditional manufacturing processes. 
  • Financial Graduates: AI and advanced analytics will handle much of the data processing and routine analysis that junior finance professionals typically managed. Early careers talent will need to focus on interpreting data and providing strategic insights rather than data gathering. The World Economic Forum notes that Fintech Engineers are among the fastest-growing jobs in percentage terms, representing a shift in early financial careers. 
  • Supply Chain Coordinators: With the rapid expansion of e-commerce, warehousing jobs have grown 61% in the last decade. At warehouses, depots, and logistics centres throughout the supply chain, there is a growing need for human workers with the skillsets necessary to manage a more complex, interconnected and tech-enabled supply chain.  

These changes highlight the increasing importance of digital literacy, adaptability and continuous learning for early careers talent. The traditional learning curve for new graduates is getting steeper, with expectations to contribute meaningfully to technology-driven processes from the beginning of their careers. 

Emerging Early Career Opportunities 

Much as technologies of the past have done, automation will create new entry-level occupations that do not exist today. Here are some promising examples of future job opportunities for early careers talent: 

  • AI and Machine Learning Specialists: According to the World Economic Forum, AI and Machine Learning Specialists are among the fastest-growing roles. Early careers talent looking to enter these professions need a strong background in computer science, programming, statistics and data analysis. Companies are increasingly creating graduate pathways specifically for these roles. 
  • Cybersecurity Analysts: The World Economic Forum ranks networks and cybersecurity among the top three fastest-growing skills. Entry-level roles in this field are expanding as organisations build security teams to protect expanding digital infrastructure. Early careers talent should focus on network security, ethical hacking, risk management and security compliance. 
  • Sustainability and Environmental Specialists: With 47% of employers expecting climate-change mitigation to transform their business in the next five years, organisations are creating early careers paths in sustainability. Entry-level roles supporting renewable energy engineers and environmental specialists represent growing opportunities for graduates with relevant knowledge. 
  • Data Analysts and Data Scientists: Big Data Specialists are among the fastest-growing jobs in percentage terms. Early careers programmes in this area are expanding rapidly, seeking talent with skills in data mining, statistical analysis, programming and data visualisation. 
  • Remote Work Support Specialists: According to the World Economic Forum, 83% of employers plan to provide more opportunities to work remotely, creating significant demand for professionals who can support distributed workforces. These roles represent new entry points for early careers talent with strong organisational skills and digital communication tools proficiency. 
  • Health and Wellness Coaches: Supporting employee health and well-being is becoming a strategic priority, with 64% of employers identifying it as key for talent attraction. Early careers talent with knowledge in nutrition, fitness, mental health awareness and coaching may find entry-level opportunities across sectors. 
  • Robotics Engineers: With 58% of employers expecting robotics to transform their business by 2030, early careers pathways are emerging for talent with skills in mechanical engineering, electronics, and programming. Graduate schemes specifically focused on automation and robotics are becoming more common. 
  • Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Developers: LinkedIn data shows Game Designers and Game Developers grew by 58% and 40% respectively as the UK games sector hit record size during the pandemic. New entry-level positions for those with skills in 3D modelling, design and user experience are emerging. These roles often don’t require extensive experience, making them accessible to recent graduates. 
  • Sustainable Agriculture Technicians: The focus on climate change adaptation is driving innovation in food production systems, creating entry-level roles in agricultural technology. These positions offer opportunities for graduates interested in agricultural science, hydroponics, and sustainable practices.  
  • Blockchain Developers: Financial institutions and technology companies are developing entry-level pathways for those with knowledge of blockchain technologies. Early understanding of cryptography, programming, and distributed ledger technology can position graduates for these emerging roles. 
  • Drone Operators and Technicians: Industries from construction to energy are creating new positions to support drone operations, data collection and analysis. These roles provide early career opportunities in a growing field without requiring extensive experience. 
  • Genomic Counsellors: The growth in healthcare specialisations will continue to evolve as healthcare becomes more technology driven. Genetics, biology, and ethics will be areas of entry for early careers talent. 

For early careers programmes, these emerging roles represent opportunities to create specialised graduate pathways that attract top talent in competitive fields. Talent acquisition leaders should consider developing targeted recruitment campaigns that highlight these future-focused opportunities to differentiate their employer brand. 

Essential Skills for Early Careers Success 

As occupations evolve alongside increasingly capable machines, early careers talent will need to develop a range of skills that may not be emphasised in traditional education. For talent acquisition leaders, understanding these skills is crucial for designing effective assessment and development programmes: 

  • Digital Literacy: Beyond basic computer skills, early careers talent needs a strong understanding of digital tools, platforms, and concepts. The WEF report identifies AI and big data as the top fastest-growing skills, followed by networks and cybersecurity. Early careers programmes should incorporate digital assessments and training from day one. 
  • Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: With routine tasks automated, analytical thinking remains the most sought-after core skill among employers, with seven out of 10 companies considering it essential. Assessment centres and selection processes should prioritise these capabilities over technical knowledge that can be taught. 
  • Adaptability and Lifelong Learning: The WEF report highlights that workers can expect 39% of their existing skill sets to become outdated by 2030. Early careers talent with demonstrated learning agility and curiosity will be better positioned to evolve with their roles. Graduate programmes should emphasise continuous development rather than fixed skill sets. 
  • Emotional Intelligence: As automation increases, uniquely human skills such as empathy, communication, and teamwork become more valuable. The WEF identifies resilience, flexibility, and leadership as among the most sought-after core skills. Early careers development should focus on these interpersonal capabilities alongside technical training. 
  • Environmental Awareness: Understanding sustainability issues is increasingly important across sectors. Environmental stewardship has entered the list of top 10 fastest-growing skills for the first time, driven by climate-change mitigation trends. Early careers programmes should incorporate sustainability awareness regardless of function. 

For talent acquisition leaders, these skill requirements necessitate a shift in assessment approaches. Moving away from traditional competency frameworks toward evaluating learning potential, adaptability, and critical thinking will be essential for identifying successful early careers talent. 

Reshaping Education & Early Careers Development 

McKinsey’s research suggests that by 2030, 75 million to 375 million workers globally will need to switch occupational categories. This has profound implications for how organisations approach early careers development and partner with educational institutions: 

  • STEM Subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics subjects provide the foundation for many future roles. Early careers programmes should consider developing partnerships with universities to influence curriculum design and create clear pathways from STEM degrees into organisations. 
  • Interdisciplinary Approaches: LinkedIn data shows high demand for roles requiring a mix of technical and human skills. Graduate schemes that rotate early careers talent through both technical and commercial functions can develop this valuable blend of capabilities. 
  • Environmental Focus: With sustainability becoming business-critical, early careers programmes should incorporate green skills development regardless of function. This could include sustainability projects, environmental impact assessments, or dedicated learning modules. 
  • Ethics Understanding: As technology raises complex questions, early careers talent needs to understand ethical implications of business decisions. Development programmes should include ethical case studies and discussions, particularly for those working with advanced technologies. 
  • Accelerated Digital Upskilling: Rather than assuming tech and digital skills will develop over time, organisations should front-load technical training in early careers programmes to enable faster productivity and contribution. 

For talent acquisition leaders, this means reimagining traditional graduate development approaches. Annual intake models may give way to more frequent, specialised recruitment aligned to emerging skill needs. Development pathways will need to become more personalised, with greater emphasis on continuous learning rather than prescribed programmes. 

Preparing Emerging Talent for the Future 

The landscape for early careers talent is changing dramatically. Traditional entry-level roles are disappearing or transforming, while entirely new career paths are emerging. For talent acquisition leaders, this presents both challenges and opportunities to reimagine how organisations attract, develop and retain emerging talent. 

Success in this evolving environment requires a fundamental shift in approach—moving from standardised graduate programmes toward more agile, personalised development journeys that emphasise continuous learning and adaptability. Organisations that create clear pathways into emerging fields, develop innovative assessment approaches, and build strong educational partnerships will gain significant competitive advantage in the talent market. 

For the next generation entering the workforce, including our children, these changes promise exciting opportunities to build careers that may look very different from those that came before—careers that may not even exist yet. Our role as talent acquisition leaders is to help them navigate this uncertainty, providing early careers programmes that prepare both emerging talent and our organisations for a rapidly changing future. 

When it comes to advising my kids on their future and the subjects they want to follow, it’s not straightforward. But as my Auntie once told me, you’ll be surprised just how much you will learn from your children. Kids are curious, and they aren’t stuck in historical thinking and norms. Our job is to guide them and encourage them to stay curious as we watch the world change!