Yvonne Smyth: London has talent, now let’s celebrate. Last chance to enter the London LovesTalent Awards!

Great people sit at the heart of any organisation and this is why I am pleased Hays is supporting the LondonlovesTalent Awards and I am proud to be on the judging panel of an event that will recognise and celebrate the best talent from across the country whilst highlighting the importance of talent and skills in generating economic growth.

The awards align closely with our own values which we instil every day in our business to power the world of work. Working with a variety of organisations every day from FTSE listed businesses to fast growing and ambitious SMEs we also believe that being passionate about people and the skills and leadership they bring to an organisation is crucial to workforce development.

Finding this same talent, talent which will move a business forward has always been a challenge for businesses and we have seen returning confidence, on the back of promising economic indicators, putting even more of a point on this quest. Identifying those same skilled people is of course part of the everyday remit of the specialist consultants here at Hays, but we are often faced with the very real challenge of an increasingly healthy jobs market but in a number of quarters a lack of skilled candidates to fill these same roles – the Great Talent Mismatch is upon us.

Hays recent report, ‘Hays Global Skills Index 2013’, takes a closer look at this with a analysis of employment markets and the importance of supply and demand for skilled talent across the 30 major global economies.Our findings are that the UK economy is facing an emerging skills shortage, which threatens to undermine the UK’s growth prospects. Talent mismatch issues in the UK are particularly apparent in industries such as oil and gas, energy, IT and construction where niche skills are in increasingly high demand.

This report is just one way we are demonstrating the importance of accelerating access to home grown talent and the skills that are needed from further afield.  

As the world’s leading specialist recruiter we pride ourselves on identifying the talent of today but also building the talent of tomorrow. 

Our recommendations for action to resolve the talent mismatch are that businesses, educational establishments and governments need to work together to build the right skills pipeline for sustainable recovery and growth.

• Governments must demonstrate real financial and political commitment to improving the flexibility of labour markets
• Education reform must be developed through close collaboration between governments and the business community
• Businesses need to develop and implement tailored policies for their youngest and oldest staff

As the wealth generators of today and tomorrow make their way, we aim to support them in achieving their goals. These awards celebrate those that well underway on this journey and we are proud to have an opportunity to recognise and celebrate their success. 

It is inspiring to work with LondonlovesBusiness.com and after the success of the LondonlovesExcellence Awards, I am looking forward to judging the entries and learning more about the fantastic talent we have in London.