A straw poll of the 100 or so HR directors attending the Human Resources Forum 2009 has found 38% believe a lack of talent in the workforce is the biggest problem facing their functions at the moment.
Their concerns over the state of training and the availability of skills within the UK workforce was further compounded when 29% of the directors said in five years time they believe the supply of graduates with the right skills will still be inadequate, while a quarter felt the situation is set to get worse.
The survey on board the Oriana cruise liner also revealed 67% of HR directors thought corporate social responsibility would become more important in the next three years, but only 26% felt such policies would have a positive impact on staff engagement and retention.
