Express Employment Professionals’ America Employed and Canada Employed series explore the state of employment in North America, including everything from hiring expectations and HR challenges to job seekers’ optimism and shrinking the skills gap. Learn about the latest insights uncovered in a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey.
The job market is shifting with job seekers emphasizing skills are increasingly valued over traditional degrees. They strongly believe employers should invest more in training and developing talent, recognizing a beneficial cycle: companies cultivate a more skilled and loyal team, and employees gain valuable experience and growth. This isn’t just wishful thinking from job seekers; it’s a trend actively being implemented.
U.S. hiring managers (83%) have relaxed specific job requirements to fill open positions, as evidenced by the following waived requirements:
- Years of experience (47%)
- Educational degrees (34%)
- Soft skills (34%)
- Hard skills (29%)
- Professional certifications (28%)
Canadian job seekers express companies should reconsider rigid qualification criteria and instead focus on potential and willingness to learn. More specifically, job seekers:
- Job seekers say the skills gap is less about a lack of ability and more about employers’ unwillingness to train (75%).
- Job seekers believe companies should prioritize skills when hiring over requiring formal degrees (84%).
- Job seekers think employers should be willing to forgo some job requirements to find the right person (71%).
Read more about the latest employment insights in America Employed at ExpressPros.com and Canada Employed at ExpressPros.ca.
Last Updated on June 12, 2025
