In May 2026, the CEO of Randstad — the world’s largest recruitment company — told CNBC something that every student, graduate and parent needs to hear. The traditional university-to-office career path, he said, is over. And the data behind his company backs it up completely.
This is not a contrarian opinion from a commentator with a point to make. This is the person who oversees recruitment across 39 countries, with access to hiring data from tens of millions of job placements every year. When Sander van’t Noordende says the game has changed, the question is not whether to believe him. The question is what to do about it.
“I would say the days of going to college and doing something in an office, they are over. You’ve got to be smarter than that.” — Sander van’t Noordende, CEO, Randstad
What the data actually shows
Randstad’s analysis draws on 50 million job postings across their global network. The picture that emerges is not one of doom and declining opportunity. It is one of rapidly shifting opportunity — and a growing divide between the graduates who understand what employers actually want and those who are still operating on assumptions that no longer hold.
The picture that emerges is not one of doom. It is one of opportunity — but only for students who understand what employers are actually looking for. And right now, most graduates are not delivering on either front.
AI skills are a fast pass — but soft skills are the foundation
The premium on AI skills is real, significant and growing. An entry-level software developer with AI expertise in the US earns $105,000 compared to $85,000 for a peer without it. In the UK, the gap is proportionally similar. And Randstad’s projections suggest it will widen further as adoption accelerates.
But here is the part of van’t Noordende’s analysis that gets far less attention in the headlines. AI skills alone are not enough. The workers who are accelerating fastest in the post-AI job market are the ones who combine technical capability with the human skills that AI cannot replicate — communication, judgement, empathy and the ability to work effectively with other people.
AI is a fast pass to promotion and pay for new entrants into the labour market — provided that you combine it with social skills, judgement and empathy. The workers who have both are in a different category entirely.
Employers in Randstad’s survey ranked soft skills — communication, teamwork, critical thinking — higher than technical skills in terms of what they actually need and are struggling to find. The uncomfortable reality for recent graduates is that only half are considered very proficient in communication and critical thinking by the employers who hire them.
The gap is not in technical skills alone. It is in the combination of technical and human capability that the 2026 job market rewards.
What this means if you are a student right now
The students who will thrive in this market are not the ones who simply graduate with a good degree. They are the ones who are deliberately building three things simultaneously — throughout their degree, not after it.
None of these three things are delivered automatically by a degree programme. All of them can be deliberately built — but they require time, and the best time to build them is during university, not after it.
The graduate who has all three
Consider what a graduate who has built all three looks like in the job market. They understand the AI tools relevant to their field and can demonstrate that capability with real examples. They communicate with confidence, work well in teams and bring critical thinking to problems. And they have a network of professional relationships built over three years — people who know them, trust them and will advocate for them.
This graduate is not competing with the standard applicant pool. They have effectively removed themselves from it. They are being considered for roles that never appear on job boards. They are being approached rather than applying. And they are commanding the 25% wage premium that Randstad’s data shows goes to the candidates who combine technical and human capability.
The degree proves academic capability. Technical skills prove you understand the tools of your field. Human skills prove you can work with people. A network proves you have already started. The graduates who have all four are in a completely different conversation to those who have only the degree.
Where to start if you are a student right now
The practical question for any student reading this is: where do I actually start? The answer depends on where you are in your degree and what direction you want to go — but the principle is the same regardless. Start building now. Not after graduation. Not in final year. Now.
The gap between wanting to build these skills and actually building them is almost always a guidance problem. With the right structure and the right mentorship, it is possible to make meaningful progress on all three dimensions — technical skills, human skills and professional network — within a single academic term.
- Our career planning programme helps you build a clear roadmap for developing the exact combination of skills and experience that your target employers are looking for.
- The jobs programme prepares graduates to compete effectively in the 2026 job market — with the technical currency, professional skills and network to stand out from the standard applicant pool.
- If you are considering building an independent career, our freelancing and entrepreneurship programmes give you the structured guidance to start building now.
