A new report has shown that many mid-sized companies are noting a severe lack of skills, offering recruitment agencies the chance to place experienced staff in key roles. The latest information from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills revealed a large number of vacancies existed simply because companies could not find experienced and correctly skilled staff to fill the positions.
Surveying 74,000 companies on their recruitment habits over the past few years, the commission found that there was an increase in business recruiting between 2009 and 2011, with levels rising from 12% to 15%. Of the data collated, only mid-sized firms showed that they were noting severe skill shortages, with a large number of their vacancies being present because they could not find the correct staff. The social and personal services and manufacturing sectors are two industries that are noting particular problems in hiring key skilled staff.
In the West Midlands and North West areas it was shown that a fifth of vacancies existed because there was a skilled staff shortage, offering recruitment agencies in these areas a great opportunity to capitalise on the data and place skilled staff in appropriate positions.
Talking of the results, employment and skills commissioner Neil McLean explained that he saw “worrying signs that the country is experiencing a skills ‘squeezed middle’, with core nucleus of hungry, medium-sized firms finding it difficult to employ staff with the skills they need”. This news could, however, help companies and recruiters work together to fill the ongoing vacancies.
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