Half of UK employes are concerned about finding the right people to fill jobs

New report shows

According to the latest Jobs Outlook report from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, half (50 per cent) of UK employers expressed concerns over the sufficient availability of candidates for permanent hire – up 8 points than in the same period last year.

The sectors that were of particular concern to hirers were roles in the public service areas of health and social care and education. Those who recruit temporary workers, also shared this growing concern with two thirds (66 per cent) of employers also worried about the availability of candidates – this was up from 32 percent in the same period last year.

The proportion of employers who believe economic conditions in the UK are getting better has continued to remain positive for the second consecutive rolling quarter. 32 per cent of employers – up 2 points from last month are feeling more confident in the future prospects of the UK economy. Confident employers want to grow, but are held back from the lack of candidate availability.

REC director of policy Tom Hadley says:

“Itis great to see that employers are feeling more confident in making hiring decisionswithin their businesses. However there is a growing concern with the lack of candidates availablefor key roles, this is one of the biggest challenges facing the UK jobs market”.

“With skills needsand candidate expectations continuing to evolve, employers are having toinnovate to attract the right people, particularly when competition betweenbusinesses for candidates is intensifying. The government can help by ensuringthe future UK workplace has the skills needed and put in place a balanced andevidence-based immigration system post-Brexit”.

“Itis encouraging to see employers continue to feel more optimistic about the UKeconomy which has translated in to having a positive impact on hiringintentions for both permanent and temporary staff. We want the UK jobs marketto remain a success story but we must act now to address looming challengesthat will impact on both demand and supply of staff.”

Stephen Warnham, Jobs Expert at totaljobs: “With UK unemployment continuing to fall, this comes as no surprise that employers are now struggling to find permanent staff. The rise of the ‘gig economy’ across the UK, paired with an increasing amount of contracting roles in the city and tech firms, is impacting on the traditional permanent staff model. The fall in net migration to the UK is also limiting the pool of talent for employers further. For businesses to maintain confidence, they need to be assured that they can still find top talent. Recent totaljobs research found that 43% of employers are already turning towards the gig economy to plug the skills gap, demonstrating the importance of this sector in the UK jobs market.”