REC: UK employers face growing candidate shortages in 2017
Almost half of UK employers (48 per cent) expect to face a shortage of suitable candidates to fill permanent jobs in 2017, according to December’s JobsOutlook survey by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).
For the last six months employers have consistently cited engineering and technical jobs as most likely to come up against a skills shortage. The latest report shows that health & social care and construction employers are also expecting to struggle to find people to fill vacancies.
With one in three (32 per cent) organisations reporting to have no spare workforce capacity, hiring in these sectors is likely to be under severe pressure in the New Year. A quarter of employers (24 per cent) expect to take on more permanent staff in the next three months.
The latest survey of 601 employers also reveals that business confidence is improving:
- 30 per cent feel that economic conditions are improving, up from 27 per cent in the previous rolling quarter.
- 38 per cent expect hiring and investment to improve, up from 33 per cent who said the same last month.
Despite these positive trends, business confidence remains significantly lower than before the EU referendum. In the three months to June almost half (48 per cent) employers surveyed reported that UK economic conditions were improving, 18 points higher than this month’s score.
REC Chief Executive Kevin Green says:
“Employers are raising red flags about being unable to fill the jobs they have available. We urge the government to take this issue seriously when considering changes to immigration policy. Limiting access to skills and talent from abroad at a time of severe candidate shortages will risk future prosperity for all.
“In 2015 UK businesses invested more than £45 billion in training and skills development. While this long-term commitment to upskilling the domestic workforce is vital, there is an immediate need for people from abroad. Employers need the talent, attitude and skills of those who are keen to work to make British businesses and public services successful.
“Across the economy, in high-skill sectors such as engineering and technology and in non-graduate roles in social care, hospitality and construction, employers are already facing labour shortages. This is not a new problem, but if further restrictions are placed on workers from the EU the situation will only get worse. The UK is at near-full employment, and the idea that the domestic labour force could fill all the opportunities available is a non-starter.”
Dedication to Customer Service
“Job hunting can be a particularly stressful process for even the most experience professional, but Select’s efficiency and dedication to customer service shone through from the second I made contact with them. Helen really took her time to get to know me and my individual job hunting needs. She put my CV forward for positions she knew would work for me. I was well-prepped for interviews and was kept informed at every stage of the process, from job hunting to interviews, from being offered a job to successful placement.”
Select Job Seeker
Always go the extra mile
“I have been working with Select for the past few months and they have helped me to fill key support roles in my team with high quality candidates. The company is a real pleasure to work with, the team always go the extra mile and are very effective in matching the right candidate to the role. I highly recommend working with them.”
Select Client
Went the Extra Mile
“Great service provided by everyone at Select Appointments. Personally, Helen was very supportive throughout the whole process. She was available on the end of the phone at any time and went to extra mile, even helping with interview preparation. I’m sure I wouldn’t have got the job without her assistance!
Overall, I couldn’t recommend Select Appointments highly enough.”
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“The team spirit and customer focus prevalent at the Select office in Crawley is clearly obvious to all and my team now see Select Appointments, simply, as an extension of our own operation. It is a pleasure doing business with Select Appointments.”
Select Client
Looked After Very Well
“Select were pro-active in finding me temporary work and, as a result of one of their short-term assignments, I was called back by the same company for five weeks and then offered a six-month contract by that company. I was looked after very well by Select, administratively and in finding me work, and I am most grateful for their efforts on my behalf.”
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“I felt that Select bent over backwards to ensure that our vacancy was filled by the most suitable person; thank you!”
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Cannot Thank Him Enough
“I am very thankful for what Select have done for me. At first, I was getting no interviews and literally no hope for any jobs. I applied to Select for an advertised job, which was in my area of expertise and my Consultant thought I was highly suitable for this job and he gave me a chance, so he put me forward. He sorted out all the interviews, communicated well with me and never left me out of sync. I cannot thank him enough for the high standard of customer service and perseverance to get me the job that I am in now!”
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I will certainly be recommending you and Select recruitment to anyone I know. Thank you for everything!”
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