The skills-first hiring movement has momentum, broad endorsement, and a deepening research base. What it apparently doesn’t have—at least not yet—is consistent execution. That’s the headline from OneTen’s latest report, Insights from Hiring Managers: How Employers Can Turn a Skills-First Mindset into Sustained Impact, released today in partnership with Ipsos.
The nonprofit, which champions career opportunities for workers without four-year degrees, set out to understand why skills-first enthusiasm hasn’t translated into widespread, sustained practice inside organizations. The answer: plenty of leaders believe in the model, but belief alone isn’t dismantling legacy processes, outdated assumptions, or long-standing structural inertia.
If 2023’s research signaled a turning point, OneTen’s 2025 report shows the turning point needs…another turning point.
A Big Mindset, a Small Footprint
OneTen’s new data surfaces a widening discrepancy between support and adoption:
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86% of hiring managers say they view skills-first hiring positively.
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82% want to adopt it more fully.
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But only one-third actually apply it consistently.
That’s the skills-first “belief gap”—a disconnect between intention and day-to-day hiring behavior. It’s not that managers are resistant; many simply lack the systems, clarity, and confidence to shift long-standing processes.
“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 issue isn’t whether managers think skills matter. It’s that the machinery powering hiring still rewards credentials, shortcuts, and risk avoidance.
The Barriers: A Tale of Three Categories
OneTen categorizes the obstacles as procedural, personal, and structural—and hiring managers reported challenges in each.
1. Procedural: The Tools Just Aren’t There
The biggest blocker may be simply not knowing how to assess skills effectively.
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40% of hiring managers say skills are hard to assess directly.
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49% haven’t received training on defining skills.
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30% say job descriptions are unclear about which skills matter.
It’s hard to run a skills-first process if the organization hasn’t clarified the skills in question.
Even more telling: only about half of managers have received training at all—yet more than 70% want it, especially guidance on defining and evaluating job-relevant skills. In other words, demand is high; enablement is not.
2. Personal: Fear, Risk, and Confidence Gaps
Hiring managers are human, and humans lean toward familiar patterns.
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One-third fear making the wrong hire.
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24% cite leadership resistance; 23% see peer resistance.
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21% lack internal expertise.
Without strong organizational backing, choosing a nontraditional candidate can feel risky—even when hiring managers personally believe in the approach. That fear often nudges managers back toward degrees and traditional proxy signals of competence.
3. Structural: Legacy Processes Still Block Non-Degree Talent
Despite years of advocacy, around 25% of job postings reviewed still list degree requirements.
And 19% of hiring managers say candidates without four-year degrees are filtered out before they ever reach them.
This is the heart of the belief gap: the system is still optimized for degree-based hiring, even when the people operating within it prefer something else.
Why the Companies Already Doing This See Bigger Wins
One of the most compelling insights in the study: hiring managers at organizations that have already implemented skills-first strategies—fully or partially—report stronger benefits than those still piloting or not yet adopting.
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Hiring more qualified candidates: 91% vs. 68%
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Efficiency: 87% vs. 60%
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Retention: 86% vs. 58%
This suggests skills-first hiring isn’t just an equity strategy—it’s a performance strategy. And it’s already delivering measurable business value for the organizations that commit to it.
This aligns with similar findings across HR tech research: the more companies activate competency frameworks, upskilling initiatives, and skills-powered workflows, the more they see positive returns across talent acquisition and retention.
What Hiring Managers Respond To: Data, Outcomes, and Real Stories
The study also reveals what motivates hiring managers to adopt skills-first practices more confidently.
They respond best to tangible business outcomes, such as:
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Greater efficiency and lower costs (84%)
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Stronger performance (85%)
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Improved retention (83%)
In other words, “it’s the right thing to do” is no longer the most compelling narrative. ROI is.
Complementing the data, managers also want stories—real examples of successful skills-first hires who have influenced team performance. That blend of quantitative and qualitative evidence helps build conviction and reduce perceived hiring risk.
The Playbook: What Employers Need To Do Now
OneTen’s report doesn’t simply diagnose the problem; it outlines a path forward.
Here’s the roadmap employers are encouraged to follow:
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Align leaders and managers around a shared business case, not just an HR initiative.
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Modernize job descriptions, competency models, and assessments to focus on skills—not pedigree.
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Equip hiring managers with hands-on tools and training, especially for evaluating skills directly.
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Revamp internal communications to reinforce expectations, normalize non-degree pathways, and repeat success stories.
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Rebuild systems and processes so nontraditional talent actually makes it past early screening stages.
The message: skills-first is not a philosophy—it’s an infrastructure project.
Why This Matters in the Broader Talent Landscape
Skills-first hiring sits at the intersection of several major workforce trends:
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A multi-year decline in degree requirements across industries
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AI-powered skills mapping and competency-based recruiting tools
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Growing pressure to expand talent pipelines amid labor shortages
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Persistent gaps in economic mobility for workers without degrees
Organizations are increasingly recognizing that degrees are an imperfect proxy for capability. Yet operationalizing a skills-first model requires coordinated shifts across HR tech stacks, assessment methods, team training, and executive priorities.
The report highlights a key truth: the hiring ecosystem is in a transition phase. Belief is robust. Proof points are mounting. But systems change takes time—and more importantly, it takes a willingness to unlearn entrenched habits.
Methodology Matters
The research includes:
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A survey of 400 U.S.-based hiring managers from organizations with 500+ employees
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Conducted May 15–June 2, 2025
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Supplemented by qualitative focus groups
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Respondents included managers with hiring authority
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Participants were not drawn from OneTen’s coalition companies
This combination of quantitative and qualitative insights paints a credible picture of the challenges facing hiring teams today.
Final Thoughts: A Movement Waiting for Momentum
OneTen’s report captures a pivotal moment in the evolution of hiring. Organizations believe in the power of skills; they’ve seen early evidence that it works; and hiring managers are eager for change.
But the infrastructure, training, and systemic alignment needed to make skills-first hiring sustainable remain uneven.
The belief gap is real—but so is the upside. Skills-first hiring has quietly become one of the most promising strategies for building resilient pipelines, improving retention, and unlocking overlooked talent. The companies that invest now will likely outpace those still waiting for the “perfect” moment.
And if the data is any indication, hiring managers are ready. They’re just waiting for their organizations to meet them halfway.
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