McKinsey partnered with Opportunity@Work (O@W), a national nonprofit reshaping the U.S. labor market, to scale skills-based hiring practices. Together, we created strategies, tools, and campaigns to help employers prioritize skills over degrees, enabling millions of workers to access higher-wage roles while building stronger, more diverse talent pipelines for employers.
WHAT WE ACHIEVED TOGETHER
HOW WE DID IT
Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign: Co-launched to help employers replace degree requirements with skills-based criteria
Digital portal: Developed to enable employers to explore STARs data, identify eligible roles, and access a diverse talent pipeline
STARs fund: Created messaging and communications for a $100 million campaign to grow O@W’s capabilities and network by 2028
Five-year strategy: Redefined O@W’s operating model, crafting a strategy and pinpointing critical initiatives and cross-unit synergies
Open-source playbooks: Captured best practices to support US states in removing degree screens for public-sector roles
The Impact
Ensuring skills-based hiring quality
O@W’s initiatives are unlocking an overlooked talent pool in the American workforce, leading to significant economic and social benefits.
Data-driven insights
Leveraging data to identify eligible roles, access a diverse talent pipeline, and continuously improve hiring practices
Employer support
Providing employers with the necessary tools and resources to adopt and sustain skills-based hiring practices, including digital portals, playbooks, and training programs
Quality of skills assessment
Implementing a consistent approach to evaluating candidates’ skills through practical assessments and real-world tasks, ensuring they meet job requirements
Scalability and sustainability
Developing strategies and frameworks that enable the widespread adoption of skills-based hiring across various sectors, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability
State-level success stories
Colorado
McKinsey and O@W partnered with Colorado’s Department of Personnel and Administration on an eight-week pilot to identify, test, and scale effective skills-based hiring practices. The team mapped the STARs applicant journey, trained HR teams, and rewrote job descriptions to highlight required skills. These efforts resulted in a significant increase in skills-based job postings and hires.
Utah
In partnership with McKinsey, O@W launched a pilot in Utah to strengthen communications, provide tool kits, and embed processes that help hiring teams apply skills-first practices more effectively. The state also created a website to highlight skills-based hiring, pathways into public service, and success stories.
LEARN MORE
Case Study
Unlocking career paths for workers through skills-first hiring
Partnering with Opportunity@Work to access to higher-wage careers for more workers
Blog Post
Opportunity@Work and McKinsey expand partnership to Colorado and Utah
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Our organizations are helping employers shift to skills-based practices in hiring, which could enable upward mobility for 1 million workers in the U.S.
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