Ready or Reluctant? Employer Expectations for AI Skills Meet Student Skepticism

BETHLEHEM, PA—Employers increasingly report that AI skills are important for recent college graduates. At the same time, however, there is growing evidence of Gen Z’s resistance to AI, according to research conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

“There is a striking disconnect: Employers are increasingly asking graduates to be ready for AI, while a significant portion of students are asking whether AI deserves a place in their work at all,” says Shawn VanDerziel, NACE president and chief executive officer.

The growing expectation for early career talent to be adept at using AI is shaping both the job market and entry-level work. More than one-third of entry-level jobs require AI skills, according to employers taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook Spring Update survey. That’s nearly triple the amount that indicated this just six months earlier.

In addition, AI skills are more prevalent in job descriptions now than they were in the fall survey (from 10.5% in the fall to 16.5% in the spring), and 28% of employers say they are seeking early career talent who can use AI in their work.

“Employers themselves are facilitating AI skill development as nearly 60% say they are assigning interns projects that use AI tools and skills,” VanDerziel points out.

However, in NACE’s 2026 Student Survey, nearly one-third of graduating seniors believe having AI skills—such as asking effective questions/prompts or checking AI outputs—will be of little or no importance to their future career. (See Figure 1.) Even more—slightly more than half—say they currently aren’t building AI skills for the future. (See Figure 2.)

Less than half of graduating seniors said they leveraged AI in their job search. (See Figure 3.) Those who didn’t said they “would rather do it themselves,” didn’t need AI, or never considered it. Others cited AI’s negative impact on the environment or don’t feel as though AI is accurate or helpful. 

VanDerziel cautions that there is nuance to these results as some students are more willing to use AI in their job search and are more inclined to see AI skills as important to their future success.

“What sets these students apart from their peers? It may be, in part, a factor of the jobs and workplace cultures these students will be entering. Or, it may be that these students anticipate that the portion of employers looking for new graduates to bring AI skills to early career jobs will continue to rise,” he says.  

“Right now, it is too early to tell what the long-term impact of AI will be on early career talent, but it is obvious that students have mixed expectations and views on the ways AI will impact their careers.”

Figure 1: How important do graduating seniors think AI skills are to their future career? According to the 2026 NACE Student Survey, 31 percent say AI skills are of little to no importance, 29.1 percent say they are somewhat important, and 40 percent say they are very or extremely important. Overall, two in five graduating seniors say AI skills will be highly important to their future career.

Figure 2: Are graduating seniors building AI skills for the future? According to the 2026 NACE Student Survey, 50.5 percent of graduating seniors say they are not building AI skills, 33.0 percent say they are, and 16.4 percent say they are planning to. Overall, the infographic highlights that half of graduating seniors report they are not currently building AI skills for the future.

Figure 3: Are graduating seniors using AI in the job search? According to the 2026 NACE Student Survey, 46 percent of graduating seniors say they used AI during their job search, while 54 percent say they did not. The infographic emphasizes that more than half of graduating seniors did not use AI as part of their job search.

About the Job Outlook 2026 Spring Update Survey: The Job Outlook 2026 Spring Update survey, sponsored by Jobscan, was conducted February 12 – March 17, 2026. Of the 185 total respondents, 142 were NACE employer members, representing 19.9% of eligible member respondents, and 43 responses were provided by nonmember companies. The survey updates hiring projections for the Class of 2026, which were reported in November 2025.

About the 2026 Student Survey: NACE’s 2026 Student Survey was conducted March 12 – May 15, 2026. More than 17,000 students from 258 colleges and universities nationwide took part, including more than 1,860 graduating seniors.

About the National Association of Colleges and Employers: Established in 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is the only professional association in the United States that connects more than 14,500 college career services professionals, nearly 2,900 early career talent acquisition professionals, and more than 400 business solution providers that serve this community.

NACE is the premier source of market research on career readiness, the employment of recent college graduates, and the college-to-career transition. NACE forecasts hiring and trends in the job market; tracks salaries, recruiting and hiring practices, and student attitudes and outcomes; and identifies best practices and benchmarks.

NACE offers its members unparalleled research, networking and professional development opportunities, guidance on standards and ethics, and advocacy on key issues. For more information, visit www.naceweb.org.