The skills timebomb

Clayton Financial, Prestonís financial and accountancy recruitment consultancy, have just issued a skills shortage warning in Preston, Blackburn and Blackpool for financial and accountancy staff.

The gap is also affecting general skilled labour, and according to a recent announcement by Babs Murphy, chief executive of the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, one in five employers are saying that a fifth of all current job vacancies cannot be filled because of skills shortages. The current economic climate and low unemployment is now having a direct effect on the ability of employers to hire quality staff by using traditional methods.

Michael Wray of Clayton Financial comments that ìskill levels and the right people are increasingly very hard to identify through traditional advertising methods alone, and we are constantly approached by employers who have had difficulty in filling jobsî

In order to generate the level of candidates required in industry and accountancy practices, Clayton Financial have instigated a number of innovative practices, which have resulted in the building of a comprehensive database of candidates that are not accessible by other means and that have been interviewed and are ready to offer their services. The candidate skill reflected in the database ranges part qualified to qualified accountants and from Accounts Assistants and Book Keepers to Purchase Ledger Clerks.

Clayton Financial are currently working on their 2005 Financial and Accountancy candidate skills and salary survey which will be available on their website later on in the year. They are also working on their unique guide for employers and accountancy practices on how to hire and retain the best people. They are looking to hear from either employers who have had difficulty in recruiting and/or Accountancy and Finance candidates who wish to add to the survey. Michael Wray can be contacted on 01772-259121 or he can be emailed at mwray@clayton-financial.co.uk