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The summer may be flying by, but the world of talent certainly isn’t slowing down! In this month’s Talent Digest, we’ve rounded up the latest insights, trends and conversations shaping recruitment right now. Jump in below:
Latest Insights
New Report: The Future of Career Decision-Making
Our 2026 Gen Z report, in association with Springpod, gathers opinion and perspective from more than 1,200 UK students on career planning, confidence, and the changing world of work.The paper explores how UK students feel as they navigate career choices – highlighting the impact of financial pressures, AI, confidence and access to career guidance.
Key insights from the report include:
📊 70% of young people say thinking about their career causes them stress.
💰 Cost of living is now the biggest factor influencing career decisions, with salary and financial security taking centre stage.
🤖 50% young people are already using AI to research careers.
🎓 Career planning is starting earlier than ever, with many young people seriously considering their future careers before age 15.
Survey Report: Human First – Candidate Perspectives on AI in Recruitment
AI is rapidly reshaping many aspects of early careers hiring, but are candidates ready for it?
We recently completed a snapshot survey on how students and early careers talent really feel about the use of AI across the recruitment journey. At the heart of the study are three core pillars:
🤝Connection – how organisations communicate with candidates
🌟Authenticity – how genuine and human the process feels
🔍Transparency – how clearly AI is used and explained
The report illuminates the real opinions and experiences of young people during the recruitment process.
In Case You Missed It
Webinar: Volume Hiring at Scale: Where Technology Ends and Humans Begin
Solutions Director Jared Massey led a panel of industry experts as they share practical strategies for designing high-volume hiring journeys that are faster, smarter, and built for today’s candidate behaviours.
If you missed it, you can catch up in full below!
Share Your Experiences for a Chance to Win Prizes
We are pleased to share that our Early Careers Employer Insights Survey 2026 is now open! This research explores the trends and challenges faced by those working in talent acquisition, plus analysis from 215,000+ candidates to provide an in-depth look at the Early Talent landscape.
The survey takes around 10-15 minutes to complete. Individuals who complete the survey on behalf of employers will be sent the full report upon its release in September.
As a thanks for participating, completed surveys will be entered into our prize draw to win one of the below prizes on offer:
🛍️ 1 x £250 Amazon Voucher
🍔 4 x £50 Just Eat Voucher
