Skills Builder Partnership, in collaboration with Edge Foundation, has released the latest edition of its annual research series: Essential Skills Tracker 2025 – Driving social mobility and growth through the AI transition. The new report paints a clear and timely picture - as AI technologies reshape the workplace, the role of essential skills in unlocking economic opportunity and social equity continues to grow. Based on a nationally representative survey conducted with YouGov, the findings show that essential skills like creativity, planning, speaking and teamwork are fundamental for adopting AI, boosting wages, and reducing inequality. But without urgent action, we risk deepening the skills trap. The data also highlights the growing anxiety linked to AI, and the desire from workers across the country to access better opportunities to build their essential skills.
One of the clearest signals from the research is the role essential skills play in enabling AI adoption. Workers with higher essential skill scores are already 30% more likely to use AI at work. Creativity stands out as a particularly strong predictor, with frequent AI users scoring 21% higher in this area than those who don’t use it. But creativity in itself is not enough - mastering the highest skill steps has the biggest impact on AI adoption. For instance, workers who frequently use AI score 35% higher on advanced steps like planning projects using tools and data. The wage premium associated with these remains significant. In 2025, moving from the lower to upper quartile in essential skill score is associated with earning between £3,700 and £6,100 more per year.
Those who regularly use AI earn an additional £8,300 annually compared to peers with the same level of developed essential skills. While that’s a promising sign for those able to combine both, it also hints at a worrying divide. Those already advantaged through education, opportunity or networks are more likely to have built these skills, and are now better positioned to benefit from AI tools. Without intervention, this could create a new kind of inequality, where AI accelerates rather than disrupts existing disparities. The report also explores the emotional impact of AI at work. Workers required to use AI daily report anxiety levels 43% higher than average. But essential skills provide a clear counterbalance. Those with higher scores in Adapting report a predicted 9% drop in anxiety, while those with stronger Speaking and Teamwork skills show a 7% drop.
It’s another reminder that wellbeing and productivity aren’t separate goals, they’re connected. Building essential skills doesn’t just help individuals perform better, it helps them feel better equipped to face change.
Crucially, workers themselves recognise the value of essential skills. 82% of UK working adults say essential skills help them adapt to new technology. Three-quarters want employers to use the Skills Builder Universal Framework in professional development, and 67% want it included in performance appraisals. For those planning to move jobs in the next year, opportunities to build essential skills are one of the top three deciding factors, just behind pay and flexible working. The demand for structured, high-quality skill-building is high. For employers, the message is simple: investing in essential skills supports adoption of AI, boosts productivity, and strengthens retention. The open-source Universal Framework offers a ready-made way to achieve this and hundreds of businesses across the UK are already using it to futureproof their workforce.
For those of us in education, the implications are equally clear. AI is evolving fast. By the time today’s primary pupils enter the workforce, its shape and scope will be unrecognisable. But building essential skills now will equip them to adapt to the tools and challenges of tomorrow. It’s not just about preparing for a digital future, it’s about ensuring that all learners have the skills to be able to face the challenges ahead.
Written by
Finlay Carr, Senior Marketing and Communications Associate at Skills Builder Partnership.