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Future Talent
barometer.

Tonic's Future Talent Barometer is a quarterly view of how students think about work. Each report draws on 4,000 voices across the UK, US, and Europe, it reveals the signals shaping attraction, decision-making, and the future workforce for employers.

 

Understanding future talent 
and what they actually think.

The Future Talent Barometer captures how students really think about work, based on quarterly 'Signals' research across key markets including the UK, US, Europe and Asia.

We analyse the data to identify a set of signals, clear patterns in attitudes, expectations, and decision-making. These signals cut through noise and highlight what’s shifting, not just what’s static.

Our objective is simple: give employers a reliable, ongoing view of what's important to future talent, so they can make better decisions about attraction, engagement, and long-term workforce strategy.

 

Introducing the Research.

How It Works

Each quarter we survey 4,000 students

We capture attitudes to work, and career decisions. We analyse the data to identify consistent patterns, our 'signals' then interpret what they mean for employers.

The output is both clear and usable: structured insight, sharp commentary, and practical implications. You get a grounded view of what’s changing, why it matters, and how to respond, whether that’s shaping your proposition, refining messaging, or improving conversion across the hiring journey.

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Student Opinions Each Quarter
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Reports each year

What We Publish

Four Signal Reports. One Annual Barometer

Each quarter, we publish a focused Signals Report, unpacking the most important shifts in how students think about work.

These build into our annual Barometer. A comprehensive view of the year’s defining trends with a look forward into the next 12 months.

Together, they give you both immediacy and depth: what’s changing now, and what it means over time.

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Barometer

Access the Insight

See the signals. Apply them

Explore the latest headline signals and themes on this page, join our quarterly sessions where we unpack the data in detail, or work with us directly to interrogate what it means for your organisation. Whether you want a broad view or something more specific, we make the insight accessible and usable, so you can move from understanding to action.

From the data

Sarah, Sam & Fergus review the spring signals

Sarah Wardle, Sam Hunter, and Fergus O’Connell share their views on the most important shifts emerging from the latest Barometer. Find out what’s changing, what it means, and where employers should focus next.

Spring 2026

Six themes shaping future talent

From our latest data, six clear signals are emerging. Each reflects a shift in how students think about work, and their own futures. Together, they highlight where expectations are changing, where assumptions no longer hold, and where employers need to respond.

Theme one

The Confidence Crisis is about more than finding a job

Confidence Crisis
Theme two

AI is replacing Career Guidance before it replaces jobs

AI replacing career guidance
Theme three

Gaming a system they don’t respect

Gaming the system
Theme four

The act of applying for jobs has been devalued

Applying has been devalued
Theme five

Human interaction is becoming a premium experience

Human Interaction is a premium experience
theme six

Connection is craved, but feared

Connection is craved

Across markets the signals are consistent. confidence runs thin, trust in hiring systems is under pressure and at an all time low. Expectations of speed and clarity are rising, whilst the need for human connection remains, even as processes become more automated.

The Spring edition of the Future Talent Barometer shows that Early talent are not approaching the transition into work confidently, or optimisticly. Instead they’re approaching it as cautious participants, learning how to navigate a system they don’t fully trust.

To address this, employers need to re-design hiring systems that build confidence, not just drive applications. They need to be clearer and more transparent about how AI is used, and what role it plays in decision-making.

Friction in the hiring system should be removed, but not at the expense of effort. Rejection needs to be rethought as one of the most important moments in how an organisation is experienced and remembered.

And finally, organisations need to show up earlier. If AI is shaping career decisions at the exploration stage, the information that candidates are given by AI should be correct.

Understand people · DE-RISK your STRATEGY

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