Will “Graduate” Still Exist in 2035?

If we opened a time capsule in 2035 and looked back at how we hire graduates today, what would feel outdated? CVs and cover letters? Degree requirements? Assessment centres designed for a pre-AI world?

That was the question Talent Solutions put to clients: What will graduate recruitment look like in 2035?

The responses were not conservative. They were bold. Challenging. Thought-provoking. and some - optimistic. There was a clear sense that the current model of early career hiring will not evolve slowly. It will shift dramatically.

AI dominated almost every response.

Not as a shiny tool. Not as a nice to have. But as the backbone of both recruitment processes and graduate roles.

Clients predict:

• Automated screening and assessment

• AI-driven or AI-supported interviews

• Blind, skills-based hiring powered by mature AI models

• Fewer recruiters and more intelligent systems

• Entry-level tasks significantly reduced or removed

One client put it plainly:

“Decreased quantity of available graduate roles as we know them due to AI replacing entry level work.”

Another balanced the concern with perspective:

“AI will takeover administrative basic functional tasks… however human judgement, discernment, and creativity will be needed more than ever.”

The consistent message is clear. AI will not remove graduate hiring. It will redefine what a graduate actually does.

By 2035, every graduate may be expected to be AI-literate. Confidently using it. Prompting it. Interpreting it. Challenging it.

The degree might lose its importance.

If AI was the loudest theme, the decline of traditional ‘degree; dependence was close behind.

Across responses, there was repeated questioning of whether “graduate” will even remain a meaningful category.

Predictions included:

• Fewer students progressing directly from school to university

• Growth in vocational and alternative pathways

• Employer-led training programmes

• Cadetships straight from high school

• Skills-based hiring replacing qualification filters

One response read:

“We will be talking about hiring students who aren’t in tertiary education as tertiary qualifications will not be required for most jobs.”

Another went further:

“Graduate won’t be a thing any more, education will be totally different.”

If degrees become less important, early career strategy can no longer rely on campus alone. Employers may need to rethink how and when they engage talent, potentially much earlier and across more diverse pathways.

There may be fewer roles and tougher competition.

A clear undercurrent ran through many submissions. Productivity gains from AI may shrink entry-level demand.

Several clients anticipate:

• Fewer graduate roles overall

• Higher expectations for those hired

• Large application volumes competing for smaller intakes

• Enhanced experiences for fewer hires

As one respondent noted:

“Fewer grad roles as businesses view to leverage AI for tasks typically done by grads.”

This raises a critical question for employers. If foundational tasks disappear, how will future leaders build capability?

If traditional learning through repetition no longer exists, organisations may need to deliberately redesign how early career capability is developed.

Human skills will become the real differentiator.

Despite the heavy emphasis on technology, the most repeated capability theme was not coding. It was empathy.

Across the responses were consistent references to:

• Critical thinking

• Complex problem solving

• Creativity

• Judgement

• Compassion

• Communication

• Human connection

One client summed it up:

“Soft skills, empathy, human values like compassion and connection will be key competencies as technical skills can be done better by AI.”

Another wrote:

“Critical thinking will surpass the ability to find and locate information.”

In an AI-enabled world, the human edge may become the competitive edge.

Students will choose values over prestige.

Employer brand is expected to shift as well.

Flexibility was described not as a benefit, but a baseline. Work life balance, wellbeing, sustainability and ethical AI use were repeatedly referenced.

One comment was particularly clear:

“Flexibility will be the bare minimum, not a benefit.”

Others highlighted:

• Sustainability and climate focus

• Māori and Pasifika leadership influence

• Responsible AI usage

• Clear career pathways

• Smaller, authentic organisations competing strongly with larger firms

The prediction is simple. Students will choose employers whose values align with their own, and they will expect proof of that.

The recruitment process itself will look very different.

CVs and cover letters were widely predicted to decline.

Instead, clients foresee:

• AI-driven assessments

• More data points to differentiate candidates

• Video and virtual engagement

• Predictive hiring

• Skills-based case assessments

• Possibly AI-generated interviewers

Interestingly, several respondents predicted a return to more in-person interaction. Especially to assess what candidates can do without AI assistance.

As one client put it:

“More assessment, case study in person to find out what they can actually do without AI.”

The future process may therefore be both more automated and more human.

So what does this mean for employers now?

If even half of these predictions come true, early career strategy cannot remain static.

Organisations may need to:

• Broaden talent pipelines beyond traditional university pathways

• Invest in AI literacy across early career programmes

• Rethink assessment methods in an AI-saturated environment

• Reconsider how foundational skills are developed

• Strengthen culture, flexibility and values-based positioning

2035 is only nine years away.

The employers experimenting now with skills-based hiring, alternative pathways, AI-enabled processes and human-centred cultures are likely to be best positioned for whatever version of 2035 actually arrives.

Graduate recruitment is not disappearing!

It is evolving, fast.