The old way of doing things for new graduates. Get a good degree and get a job with a big company in London, New York or Sydney. Is changing very fast. Problems like trade tensions rules that make it hard for people to move to another country and economic nationalism are no longer ideas that people talk about. They are actually changing what skills companies want to hire, which countries are open to people and what it means to have a job that involves working with many countries in 2026.
The numbers already show what is happening
Because countries are not working together much and there are more problems between them many companies will have to change the way they do business over the next five years according to a report by the World Economic Forum in 2025, which talked to over 1,000 companies that together employ 14 million people around the world. At the time almost 40% of the skills that workers need will change by 2030 and because countries are not working together companies now want people who can adapt think creatively be flexible and be good leaders.
For graduates from India this change is already happening. The number of students going to another country for higher education has gone down for the third year in a row. From 908,000 in 2023 to 770,000 in 2024 to just over 626,000 in 2025, which is a big drop of 31% in just two years. This drop is because some countries like Canada, Australia and the UK are making it harder for people to get visas tuition costs are going up. There is a lot of uncertainty in the countries where Indian students usually go. This is not a temporary problem it is a big change in where students are going and where they are not.
The world is not becoming less connected. It is just changing
What is replacing the way of people being able to move freely between countries for work is something called “regionalisation”. Where groups of countries work together because of politics and trade not just because they are close to each other. Because it is now harder for people to move between countries for work companies are hiring people from the countries where they are already working. Big companies are building teams of workers in places like Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe so they can prepare for problems between countries rather than ignoring them.
For graduates this change can be a good thing but only if they understand what is happening.
What companies are actually looking for in employees has changed without many people noticing
75% of the people in charge of companies now say that finding the right workers is their biggest problem, even bigger than problems between countries, inflation or problems with getting the things they need. The problem is not that there are not workers it is that companies need workers with very specific skills that are relevant right now. The skills that companies want most in 2025 are very different from what they wanted now they want people who know about artificial intelligence can analyse data and have skills that are good for working with people.. It is not just about learning about artificial intelligence.
Companies are also looking for people who understand what is happening between countries and can adapt to changes. They want people who can communicate well adapt to situations and be resilient. In a job market where the skills you need can change in 18 months being able to adapt is more important than knowing a lot about one specific area.
The way companies look at qualifications has changed a lot
Maybe the biggest change is in how companies check if someone has the skills they need. 90% Of companies are now willing to pay more to workers who have certificates like those in artificial intelligence. 92% Of companies say they are more likely to hire someone with one of these certificates than someone without.
Having a degree from an university still matters.. It is not enough on its own especially in areas where things are changing very fast. The graduates who will do well are those who can show that they have the skills companies need and who keep learning and getting qualifications. The World Economic Forum says that 59% of workers will need to learn skills by 2030 because of changes in the world economy and technology. Starting a career today means starting a lifetime of learning not just finishing your education.
The graduates who will do well have one thing in common
They do not see uncertainty as a problem. As a normal part of their work life. They follow what is happening between countries and try to understand it. They learn skills on purpose and keep their qualifications up to date.. They try to get experience working with people from other countries either in person or online as a deliberate plan, not just by chance.
There are still jobs around the world that are connected to other countries through trade and global supply chains. Around 465 million jobs. The opportunity to work with countries has not disappeared it has just changed. It is now in new areas with new rules and, for new kinds of graduates: those who can adapt who know how to use data and who are not afraid of a world that is always changing.
These graduates do not wait for things to become stable. They build their careers on uncertainty instead.
By Sanjay Laul Founder of MSM Unify
