One in 10 employers face skills shortage despite recession

- Skills shortage remains static at 11% of employers compared to 12% in 2008
- 30% of employers worldwide struggle to fill roles
- Engineers, Skilled Trades, Labourers, Sales Representatives are hardest to fill roles in UK

One in 10 (11%) of UK employers are facing difficulties in recruiting the staff they require despite the recession, according to the fourth Manpower Annual Talent Shortage Survey released today. The figures remain consistent compared to the 2008 findings when 12% of employers surveyed highlighted difficulties in recruiting the right staff. However, the figures represent a marked improvement from 2007 and 2006 when 34% and 42% of employers respectively cited difficulties recruiting staff with the right skills.

The independent research of 2,238 UK employers reveals that the most difficult positions to fill are: Engineers, Skilled Trades, Sales Representatives and Management / Executives. For the first time, Engineers tops the poll. Skilled Trades still rank highly in second place and Sales Representatives have moved back into the top three for the first time since the survey began in 2006.

Machinists / Machine Operators and Technicians enter the Top 10 for the first time and Restaurant & Hotel Staff re-enter the chart for the first time since 2006. Half of the positions from last year make the chart this year. Interestingly, Nurses drop out of the Top 10 in 2009 despite the NHSís need for specialist positions.

Mark Cahill, Managing Director of Manpower UK, comments: ìDespite the highest levels of unemployment the UK has experienced for over a decade, employers are still struggling to recruit people with the skills they require. In this climate employers can afford to be very specific when looking to hire new staff and therefore companies are demanding more from employees, for example a PA may now need to have accounting or language skills to be considered for a role when traditionally these skills would not have been essential to secure employment.

ìTo address the skills disparity, companies need to take the opportunity now to upskill and even re-train their existing staff so that they will be in a strong position when the economy recovers. As after all, people and their skills will always be a companyís greatest asset, so employers should be looking to safeguard their talent and therefore reduce future skills gaps.î

Around the world, the survey of 39,000 employers across 33 countries and territories revealed that the percentage of employers having difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs has remained static, 31 percent struggled to fill positions last year compared to 30 percent this year. Employers having the most difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs are those in Romania (62%), Taiwan (62%), Peru (56%), Japan (55%), Australia (49%), Costa Rica (48%) and Poland (48%). In addition to the UK, the talent shortage appears to be least problematic in Ireland (5%), Spain (8%), China (15%) and the Czech Republic (17%).

At a global level, the most sought after roles are similar to those in the UK with Skilled Manual Trades, Sales Representatives and Technicians the positions hardest to fill.

Todayís survey announcement coincides with the publication of the Manpower White Paper, Global Talent Crunch – Why Employer Branding Matters Now, which argues that a strong employer brand will help organizations attract and retain the best talent; and therefore enable them to win during these challenging times and achieve their growth plans.