Manpower survey reveals impact of skills shortages on recruitment market

About four in 10 (38%) UK employers are struggling to fill positions because of skills shortages, according to research by recruitment firm Manpower.

The survey of more than 1,800 UK employers revealed that skilled manual workers, administrative assistants & PAs, engineers and sales representatives were the most difficult roles to fill.

Management and executive roles were also reported to be harder to fill than in 2006.

Mark Cahill, managing director of Manpower UK said:  “Encouragingly, the number of employers reporting difficulties filling positions shows a slight improvement on last year’s result (42%), but finding the right staff remains a significant issue for many organisations today – irrespective of size or location.
 
Employers need to maintain a flexible approach to their recruitment needs – such as thinking about using temporary staff to meet short-term needs, looking to older workers and mothers returning to work or looking to staff from outside the UK.”

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Employers also needed to reassess benefits packages and training opportunities, Cahill advised.

“Good people are in demand and it’s very much a candidate’s market,” he added.