Employers fear high-level skills drain will leave jobs unfilled

Employers fear a high-level skills drain will leave jobs unfilled, according to a survey sponsored by qualifications awarding body EDI.

Demand for highly-skilled workers will intensify during the economic recovery. However, the survey of nearly 700 employers found half expect they will not be able to fill posts requiring higher skills in the coming years.

A third of employers, which together employ more than 2.4 million people across companies of a variety of sizes and sectors, are concerned it will not be possible to fill intermediate level jobs, requiring skills equivalent to A level.

As the UK economy struggles to emerge from the recession, 45 per cent of employers already report having difficulty recruiting staff with skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Science-based businesses and manufacturers are experiencing the most difficulty finding highly-skilled workers.

Some 59 per cent expect to have difficulty finding STEM-skilled people to fill their job vacancies in the next three years.

Richard Lambert, Director-General of employers group CBI, which co-authored the report, said: “Our survey shows businesses want tomorrow’s workforce to be at the top of the new government’s policy agenda. As we move further into recovery and businesses plan for growth, the demand for people with high-quality skills and qualifications will intensify.

“In the future, people with qualifications in science and maths will be particularly sought after, and firms say it is already hard to find people with the right technical or engineering skills.
“The new government must make encouraging more young people to study science-related subjects a top priority. Businesses can help by showing that these skills lead to exciting and rewarding careers, helping to tackle the big challenges, such as climate change and energy security.

“Employers across all sectors recognise there is a need to improve the calibre of leadership and management skills, and this is particularly marked in the public sector.”

Jason Rainbow

(Pictured: Nigel Snook, chief executive of EDI)