Meanwhile, further down the line, Gen Z employees are struggling to cope with resilience, workplace pressures, and confidence challenges, in some cases more acutely than previous generations.

These parallel findings highlight a widening confidence gap across the career pipeline. The challenge for employers is clear: unless businesses start supporting young people earlier, the workplace will continue to bear the cost in lost potential, disengagement and higher turnover.

"Investing in career confidence isn’t something that should begin on a new hire’s first day – it needs to start well before young people even begin applying for roles," says Ben Wright, Head of Global Partnerships at Instant Offices. "By engaging employees of the future while they’re still in education, employers build stronger, better prepared and more motivated workforces for tomorrow."

The confidence gap starts young

By Year 9, many students have already set their sights on future careers – but a significant number dismiss possibilities because they simply don’t believe they’re capable. Studies show that career-related learning and employer engagement in secondary school raises both aspirations and attainment and correlates with higher rates of employment later in life.

Meanwhile, disengagement has real-world consequences for businesses. A World Economic Forum study highlights a growing global skills gap that threatens productivity: an estimated 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025, with lack of soft skills – including confidence – among the most commonly cited issues.

Signs in the workplace: Gen Z’s catch-22

As Gen Z enters the workforce, the cracks become visible. Forbes reports that many are struggling to cope with the demands of early career roles. Employers describe them as “highly ambitious but lacking resilience,” often bringing energy and innovation but also higher levels of anxiety and uncertainty.

"Businesses tell us they’re seeing incredible creativity from young employees, but also higher burnout," says Wright. "The missing piece is confidence – when that’s nurtured early, we see people adapt faster, collaborate better and stay longer."

Why employers must act early

For forward-thinking businesses, investing in young people before they enter the workplace is a win-win. Initiatives like mentorship programmes, apprenticeships, workplace visits, and volunteering opportunities bridge the gap between education and work.

Key benefits include:

• Stronger pipelines of talent: engagement with schools and colleges builds both visibility and trust
• Lower early attrition: confident employees are more resilient, adapt faster, and remain in roles for longer
• Stronger employer brand: companies that are visible at the earliest career stages are seen as purpose-driven and people-first
• Future-ready skills: closing the gap on critical workplace skills – problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability – before employees even apply

Building career confidence into your employer brand

Some of the UK’s most resilient organisations already run outreach initiatives with schools and partner charities, offering career workshops, interview training, and mentorship. These programmes deliver measurable results – improved uptake of apprenticeships, wider candidate pools, and, crucially, young workers entering the workforce with belief in themselves and their abilities.

Employers who make confidence-building part of their attraction and retention strategy stand to benefit from more engaged, productive and loyal teams.

As Wright puts it: "Confidence is not just a personal quality, it’s a business asset. The earlier we invest in building it, the stronger the workforce we create – for our companies, our communities and our economies."

The bottom line

The future of work is not purely about technology, automation, or even hard skills. It’s about people – and their ability to believe in themselves, adapt and thrive. Supporting young people in building that foundation of confidence today is one of the most critical investments employers can make in protecting the resilience of tomorrow’s workforce.

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