Jobseekers Want Digital Credentials for Skill-Sharing. Are Employers Ready?
JFF’s survey data shows jobseekers are ready to showcase their skills with digital wallets, but more employers need to embrace the technology.
Report/Research
Exploring the Role of Digital Wallets and Digital Credentials in a Changing Job Market
Insights from jobseekers on digital credentials and wallets
August 22, 2024
At a Glance
As digital wallets containing digital credentials become more prevalent, jobseekers now can store and share learning and employment records (LERs) to pursue job opportunities. JFFLabs surveyed jobseekers to provide a snapshot of how digital wallets and digital credentials are being used in the job search and hiring processes.
About the Survey
Digital credentials, especially those issued using the W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model (VCDM), are a secure, transparent way for jobseekers to communicate all the skills they have gained. As digital wallets containing digital credentials become more prevalent, jobseekers now can store and share learning and employment records (LERs) to pursue job opportunities.
A new survey commissioned by Jobs for the Future is the first of its kind to engage a key population: jobseekers themselves. JFF asked these critical stakeholders about what they know about digital credentials and how they might use them to communicate their skills.
For the online survey administered by Morning Consult, 2,049 jobseekers answered 21 questions on these topics between February 5 to 11, 2024. The data was weighted to approximate a target sample based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, and region.
The data shows baseline usage of these tools by jobseekers to track adoption and progress across the education and employment ecosystem over time. The findings reveal that most learners and workers are eager to use digital credentials in their job search, but employers aren’t widely accepting them.
This survey was conducted by Morning Consult under the direction of the Verifiable Credentials Project. Incubated within JFFLabs, the Verifiable Credentials Project focuses on ensuring that the technical infrastructure of credentials, and the applications that use them, are built on open standards. For more information about the work of the Verifiable Credentials Project please visit: jff.org/digitalwallets.
This survey is made possible through the generous support of Walmart.
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