Recruitment: the struggle to attract skilled talent
Employers continue to struggle to attract skilled talent, and in-demand workers can’t find employers that fit their pay and skills needs, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. The workforce expert is advising employers revisit their essential skills requirements and consider what can be learnt on the job.
The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,020 UK employers and asks if they intend to hire additional workers, maintain current headcount, or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter (April to June 2023).
Said Chris Gray, Director at ManpowerGroup UK:
“Our survey continues to show strong hiring intentions despite the economic climate, but hiring intentions are not translating into filled vacancies. There is a mismatch between what workers want and what employers are offering. Employers across the country are still keen to take on new talent, and workers want to take on higher-paying roles with greater development opportunities. However, they aren’t seeing these jobs advertised. Job descriptions are going unread because they aren’t offering the skills growth workers want. Employers need to be clear about the progression opportunities and the training they are providing.”
Approximately ten million people in the UK currently do not have a job, with 1.2m of those being unemployed and the remaining 8.9 million classed as economically inactive.
Gray continues:
“It’s time to bring these workers into the fold. In a time of economic uncertainty and a cost-of-living crisis, we’re seeing that existing employees are reticent to move to new jobs and would rather take on more overtime or a second or third job to make ends meet and continue to develop. We have to be looking to bring those inactive back into the workplace and this requires structural changes to make this a realistic option. Government has an opportunity in the Budget to help make this happen – an improved childcare offer and support for over 50s and long-term sick could make a real difference.”
Employers across all sectors plan to increase headcount. The IT sector leads the pack, with a Net Employment Outlook of +48%, an increase of 14% on last quarter and up 8% on Q2 2022.
Gray explains:
“Demand for highly-skilled tech talent continues to grow and we see this across all sectors. This growth is positive for workers, as businesses continue to deliver today while transforming for the workplace of tomorrow. This growth has a knock-on effect as new and different roles emerge, from project and change managers to newly skilled production workers. The opportunities are numerous as British industry works on future-proofing itself. To meet the demand, employers must re-evaluate what is essential and what is desirable in a candidate, and consider whether the role could be filled with a candidate who is 60-70% fit for the role, and could be trained for the future.”
Gray concludes:
“We are encouraged to see demand for workers the length and breadth of the UK – employers in all regions plan to expand headcounts. This is true especially of the East Midlands, which has seen hiring optimism surge since last quarter. Our insights tell us that a great deal of this demand stems from small and medium sized businesses which continue their optimistic streak in the region.”
Writing for International Workplace, Amy White, Head of Loch Training and Wellbeing discusses how skill shortages in the workplace could in fact be filled by training and upskilling existing staff members and that this is actually an effective staff retention method.
She says:
“Employees who feel they’re learning and developing and that their employer is giving them the tools and resources they need to do so will feel supported from a human perspective, rather than simply being treated as a cog in a wider machine."
Coaching and mentoring are used by employers as a widespread development tool. This can be particularly appropriate for challenging times because it is flexible and low-cost, and often the mentor learns as much as the employee being coached. Mentoring allows relationships to be formed between mentor and mentee, and helps the organisation align staff better with roles. Coaching allows for focused skills training, increasing their confidence and ultimately their productivity and value in the business.
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