You might find this interesting despite the high unemployment figures in the UK.
Firms are struggling to find new employees with the skills they want, despite high unemployment, according to a recent report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
The author, Claire McCartney, said that a “safety-first” attitude among employees was contributing to the shortage of available skills – and holding up economic recovery.
“Free movement of talented individuals is being impeded by a reluctance to voluntarily change jobs in volatile economic times – and the problem is worse now than at the height of the recession,” she said.
“We expect a continued ‘safety-first’ approach from employees, with many wanting to stay put for the next couple of years at least, making it difficult for employers to really drive competitive edge through the recruitment of talented individuals.”
Overall, the Resourcing and Talent Planning survey found that 75 per cent of the survey’s 636 respondents with vacancies to fill had struggled to do so in the last year (68 per cent in 2010). 52 per cent of respondents said competition among employers for talent was greater in spite of higher unemployment, compared to 41 per cent in 2010, and just 20 per cent in 2010.
Of these, almost three-quarters (73 per cent) cited a shortage of managerial, specialist and technical skills as the major obstacle to recruitment.
