One in three UK youths lack confidence, raising IT skills alarm

Research from youth and education agency Hark indicates that one in three young people in the UK has little to no confidence, posing significant concerns for future employability and requiring attention from IT business leaders.

The Listen Up Report, based on a survey of 1,454 young people from diverse backgrounds aged 11 to 18, uncovers a confidence deficit affecting around two million adolescents. Hark's findings suggest that ten children in every typical classroom are grappling with low confidence, which has a direct impact on their ability to express opinions, collaborate and thrive in professional environments.

This confidence shortfall highly correlates with limited engagement in group activities and reluctance to communicate, with only 7% of non-confident youths expressing their opinions regularly. Furthermore, 67% of those with low confidence do not speak to unfamiliar adults, making transitions into the workforce particularly challenging as essential attributes such as communication, teamwork, emotional intelligence, and resilience remain underdeveloped.

Impact on employability

The broader consequences extend beyond individual struggles, affecting the skills landscape as businesses report encountering new employees lacking workplace readiness. According to additional research from the Chartered Management Institute, almost 80% of employers believe that students are not fully prepared for work, with notable gaps in teamwork (58%), critical thinking and problem-solving (54%), and communication (52%).

These findings are supported by a 2023 survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, in which 52% of employers disagreed that young people were ready for the workforce, 56% found younger employees harder to manage compared to previous generations, and 64% cited deficits in social skills.

For the tech sector in particular, such shortages are pronounced. The 2025 Talent Shortage survey indicates persistent demand for IT and data skills, areas identified as some of the most difficult to recruit for in the UK labour market. As a result, limited confidence among youth threatens to further exacerbate shortages of diverse thought, underdeveloped talent pools, and impede innovation.

"We all know that the least confident young people put themselves forward less, meaning they receive encouragement last, get overlooked for leadership roles, and miss out on development opportunities," said Hark co-founder Victoria Millar. "What our research reveals is that confidence isn't being built gradually by young people during school years, so they're not thriving in higher education, apprenticeships and employment. This has massive implications for businesses, as these young people don't have the skills to fuel the highly collaborative, creative and dynamic company cultures so vital in organisations today."

Social patterns and business response

Confidence, the report states, is shaped by social factors such as the lingering impacts of Covid-19, pressures from maintaining online personas, fear of judgement, and a lack of safe spaces for self-expression. The transition point between starting and leaving secondary school is particularly notable; while 71% of 11-year-olds feel confident when entering secondary education, this falls to 65% at age 16. Thus, over a third start their working lives with little to no confidence.

"Confidence gaps aren't personality traits; they're broken social patterns shaping who gets seen and supported, and their impact on the workforce of tomorrow is very real," added Millar. "Hark's Listen Up Report highlights an urgent need for businesses to step up to the plate and take action. Workplaces must play a crucial role by implementing initiatives that are more inclusive, celebrate all kinds of progress, and invest in the development of youth employability skills through education partnerships and community-led programmes. It's up to businesses to listen to and empower future workers today."

Demographic disparities

The survey uncovers significant differences according to region, socio-economic background, and gender. London reports the highest confidence rates with 87% of young people expressing confidence, whereas Northern Ireland (43%), Wales (41%), and parts of the Midlands (35%) show far lower rates. Socio-economic factors show that 37% of those from less advantaged backgrounds have low confidence, compared to 27% of their more privileged peers.

Gender differences are also marked. Over a third (34%) of girls report little to no confidence, while nearly three-quarters (73%) of boys consider themselves confident. Notably, almost half of confident girls (44%) conceal their confidence to avoid being perceived negatively.

The data suggests that lower confidence contributes to invisibility in social and academic settings, which can lead to a cycle of further withdrawal and missed opportunities for personal and professional development.

Hark's analysis argues that the confidence shortfall is not merely an individual challenge but a systemic issue that businesses - especially in IT - are uniquely positioned to address by supporting initiatives that bolster youth confidence and related employability skills.