THE-Emerging Employability Ranking 2025: "Work expertise is a rising priority" (S. Belloc, CEO)
"Employers' priorities for recruitment have seen a slight decline in graduate skills, which are fairly dependent on the economic climate. On the other hand, work expertise is on the rise when there is tension in the labour market. Thirdly, there is a digital mindset", says Sandrine Belloc, founder and CEO
Chief Executive Officer
of Emerging, in an interview with News Tank on 29/10/2024 ahead of the Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (Geurs
Global Employability University Ranking and Survey
) 2025, published on 14/11/2024 by the Times Higher Education and conducted by the polling institute Trendence.
"What is significant is to see the first three criteria in similar positions (from 16 to 18% of importance), when academic performance comes after, with an importance of 13.1%. Specialisation is fourth, with employers considering that it
Information Technology
comes later, on the job."
This evolution in skills priorities may have driven changing trends in the ranking: "Over the past decade, we have witnessed a profound shift toward globalisation in higher education, increasing competition among universities worldwide", states Emerging.
"The traditional dominance of the U.S. and UK
United Kingdom
, where experienced managers report declining employability experiences, followed by Australia and Canada, is being challenged by new contenders. Employers now have access to a diverse global talent pool, intensifying competition in education and the workforce."
News Tank reported on the ranking and its regional analysis in another article.
Employers' criteria for university recruitment
"Our survey on employer expectations reveals that reputation and prestige are primary criteria for selecting top universities. However, the reasons behind the rankings for institutions from 20 to 250 indicate that other factors are gaining importance", states Emerging.
Priority of criteria for institutions ranked 1 to 200 according to employers
"Over three years, graduate skills have remained a top priority, while work expertise has risen, highlighting a growing emphasis on practical experience. Specialisation has declined and digital mindset has improved. Notably, social impact and leadership emerged as a new priority in 2025", says the organisation.
"Social impact and sustainability are still not very influential. It is not what makes the difference in the rankings. However, the indicators have been showing us for the last 3-4 years that there is something there", adds Sandrine Belloc.
Evolution of the prioritisation of criteria by employers
Regional disparities on the importance of social impact and sustainability
The priority on social impact and sustainability is not shared by all the countries - there are huge disparities. "It reveals a new geographical bloc: a ‘global South’ with Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Morocco, South Africa and the Middle East, which have raised the importance of this indicator", explains Sandrine Belloc.
"It's surprising, but it's a big challenge for them. These are employers who are asking universities to train more people so that they can upgrade their skills, thinking they'll develop competitiveness in their industries thanks to sustainable skills. The numbers are also rising in Western countries."
"A long time ago, young people with green skills were seen as a deterrent because employers thought they were going to challenge internal processes. Nowadays, people accept that they need to be trained in these issues."
"But this lever is not just about the green trend, it's also about universities being asked to work more for society, to stop working in isolation, and to get more involved in working with companies."
The rise of soft skills versus hard skills
According to Sandrine Belloc, the answers to the questions on employability essentials show that the ability to learn and adapt to new technologies comes out on top, with technical skills a distant second.
"Employers are thinking in terms of the long-term and adaptability, and the challenge of ongoing training is becoming increasingly important. When a young person is recruited, we want to be sure that he will be able to adapt throughout his life.
However, the opposite is true in some sectors, like AI Artificial intelligence , IT Information Technology , energy, and the environment: technical skills are seen as more essential."
Company-university collaboration: a rising strategy
"47.8% of the panel has a team dedicated to working with universities. This started in 2019 with digitalisation. Companies are getting closer to universities to train new digital profiles. And 24% of the panel said this was in preparation: in two years, 71% of companies will have a dedicated team."
"The more dedicated teams companies have for collaboration with universities, the more the collaboration will work. This will extend collaboration beyond placements, like joint graduate programmes and participation in improvement councils."
"Today, a lot of collaboration is short-term, apart from research, which is very sporadic and linked to specific needs. Collaboration on training is mainly with large companies on large volumes of graduates", indicates Sandrine Belloc.
Career
Co-founder and Managing Director
Co-founder and Managing Partner
# 52799, created on 14/11/24 at 06:30 - Updated on 14/11/24 at 06:35