As nearly two million young people prepare to enter the UK workforce, research suggests that beyond technical skills, confidence may be the critical factor in their success.
Britain’s emerging workforce is stepping into professional life with ambition, digital fluency, and fresh perspective. Yet new research from youth development agency Hark highlights one essential factor that could shape how successfully they transition into the world of work: confidence.
While technical skills can be taught and certified, confidence is harder to measure and even harder to rebuild once lost. And yet, it directly influences whether early-career talent speaks up in meetings, engages in feedback loops, or steps forward for leadership opportunities. The study, which gathered insights from more than 1,400 individuals aged 11 to 18, reveals that around 1 in 3 young people report low levels of confidence, affecting how they communicate, collaborate, and take initiative.
These behaviours don’t just delay individual growth, they can cost organisations time, innovation, and future leadership. When confidence is low, potential remains untapped.
A Foundational Skill for Workplace Readiness
Hark’s findings show a clear link between confidence and employability. While skillsets are often in place, it’s confidence that empowers young people to speak up, contribute to teams, and take ownership of tasks. Among those with low confidence, only 7% regularly share their opinions, and 2 out of 3 avoid speaking with unfamiliar adults, both behaviours that can limit early workplace engagement.
“We all know that the least confident young people put themselves forward less, meaning they receive encouragement last, get overlooked for leadership roles, and miss out on development opportunities. What our research reveals is that confidence isn’t being built gradually by young people during school years, so they’re not thriving in higher education, apprenticeships and employment. This has massive implications for businesses, as these young people don’t have the skills to fuel the highly collaborative, creative and dynamic company cultures so vital in organisations today.”
Victoria Millar – Co-Founder at Hark
Conversely, young people with higher confidence levels are more likely to participate in group settings, communicate with mentors, and pursue leadership opportunities. These early experiences help build professional capabilities such as communication, resilience, and emotional intelligence, all of which underpin long-term career success.
The Talent Signals Employers Can’t Ignore
Employers increasingly recognise that confidence plays a crucial role in early career performance. According to the Chartered Management Institute, 80% of organisations believe school-leavers and graduates need more support in developing key workplace competencies, particularly teamwork (58%), critical thinking (54%), and communication (52%).
Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) supports this theory, with many employers expressing a desire to better support young hires as they adapt to professional environments.
Proactive organisations are partnering with schools, community programmes, and youth-led initiatives to not only shape skillsets, but mindsets too. Confidence-building initiatives such as mentorships, real-world project exposure, inclusive leadership modelling, don’t just benefit the individual, they turn emerging talent into future hires who bring energy, ideas, and potential.
How Companies Are Shaping Future Talent Pipelines
Confidence may not appear on a CV, but it impacts how talent shows up, adapts to challenge, and grows over time. Confidence influences everything from early engagement to leadership development and long-term retention. By prioritising early, inclusive development, companies don’t just prepare young people for work, they empower them to lead, contribute, and stay.
Rethinking how we support young people’s transition into work, businesses can help uncover untapped potential while securing the strength of their own future workforce.
If confidence is something that grows with encouragement, support, and experience, what role can organisations play in making sure that happens?