Employment
levels are predicted to rise by 250,000 this year, creating a huge dilemma for
UK employers already struggling to fill existing vacancies.
According
to a review of prospects for 2004 by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development (CIPD), finding quality candidates for vacancies has become
increasingly difficult.
The
CIPD’s chief economist John Philpott said: "While this is undoubtedly good
news for business and users of public services, it promises to present an even
greater challenge to public sector HR managers who already report recruitment
difficulties."
He
said that to meet the challenge, UK organisations should tap into under-used
sources of labour, including immigrants.
The
review found that the most common reasons for recruitment difficulties are
skills shortages and finding applicants with suitable experience (cited by 54
per cent of organisations).
