The Overlooked Advantage

The Overlooked Advantage: Why Employers Can’t Afford to Miss This Talent

At The Brokerage, we see every day how young people who’ve grown up with fewer resources bring a unique edge to the workplace. Too often, they’re described only in terms of “disadvantage.” This report turns that narrative on its head, showing that these young people carry with them an overlooked advantage: a set of strengths developed through lived experience that are invaluable in today’s world of work.

Drawing on independent research and conversations with our alumni and employer partners, The Overlooked Advantage highlights qualities like resilience, creativity, cultural intelligence, and a hunger to learn – all of which drive success in modern, diverse teams. Yet current recruitment practices, built around outdated markers of privilege, too often miss this potential.

What you’ll find inside the report:

• Challenging perceptions: How experiences such as growing up in an immigrant family, attending a school with limited resources, or navigating bias can shape adaptable, ambitious, and emotionally intelligent talent.

• The recruitment gap: Why traditional hiring processes exclude this talent – and how this contributes to the persistent working-class pay gap in sectors like law and finance.

• Five overlooked strengths: Readiness to learn, desire for excellence, emotional and cultural intelligence, creativity, and resilience – explained through the voices of young people and the employers who’ve hired them.

• A practical three-step framework: Concrete actions employers can take to build empathy, design fairer selection processes, and create cultures where diverse young people can thrive.

  
  

Why this matters now:

With skills shortages affecting every sector, employers cannot afford to miss out on this pool of exceptional talent. By recognising the overlooked advantage, you’ll not only strengthen your organisation but also contribute to a fairer, more inclusive workforce where potential is truly valued.

The Brokerage has spent more than 25 years working alongside young people and employers to break down barriers. This report distils those lessons into practical recommendations for leaders who want to do recruitment differently – and better.

👉 Download The Overlooked Advantage today and start the conversation with us about how your organisation can benefit from the talent you may be overlooking.

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