Recruitment pressures have increased during the past year, despite the
economic slowdown and a wave of redundancies.
The latest survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
(CIPD) shows the problem exists across all sectors and regions, with 93 per
cent of the 557 organisations surveyed experiencing difficulties.
It confirms the trend of the ‘3Rs effect’, where mass redundancy co-exists
alongside recruitment and retention difficulties.
The three main causes of the problem include a lack of specialist skills,
poor quality applicants and pay inflexibility, all of which are particularly
acute in the public sector. The cost of living is also cited as a major reason,
particularly in the South East.
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Meanwhile, the number of organisations reporting retention difficulties has
jumped in the past year from 50 to 72 per cent.
Retaining public sector staff (84 per cent of public sector organisations
report problems) and administrative staff, are the biggest retention
challenges.
