Tearing the Paper Ceiling at Scale: How Indeed and Opportunity@Work Are Rewiring the Future of Hiring
In a labor market where more than 70 million workers are STARs—Skilled Through Alternative Routes rather than through a bachelor’s degree—traditional hiring practices are no longer just outdated; they’re inefficient and exclusionary.
A skills-first strategy, built into every part of the hiring process
Indeed and Opportunity@Work’s partnership integrates skills-first hiring into the infrastructure of how jobs are posted, how candidates are evaluated, and how hiring decisions are made.
- Product innovation: AI-powered tools like Indeed’s Career Scout help job seekers find roles that match their skills—not just their resumes. Users are 38% more likely to get hired using Career Scout.
- Employer impact: Hiring for skills is 5x more predictive of job performance than hiring for education.
- Systemic change: More than half (52%) of job postings on Indeed no longer mention a degree requirement—a milestone reached in early 2024.
The impact on workers is real. As Lindsey Perez, Executive Assistant Manager at Indeed and a STAR, puts it: “When managers are open-minded and focus on what people can do rather than if they have a degree, or where their degree came from, it creates a culture of trust and motivation.”
Together, we’ve launched a movement, not a moment—showing that when employers focus on what candidates can do, not where they learned it, everyone wins.
The Future of Hiring is Skills-First
Download the full case study to learn how Indeed is putting skills-first hiring into action across its platform—and how your organization can do the same.
