Competition for top talent intensifies
• A recent CBI report reveals employer priorities and concerns for the new government regarding education and skills. Half of employers surveyed (51%) are concerned they will not be able to fi ll posts requiring the right graduate level or higher skills in the coming years and a third (32%) don’t believe it will be possible to fi ll intermediate level jobs, requiring skills equivalent to A level. A third (30%) of employers predict the need for lower-level skills will decrease, while just 17% say it will increase.
• Asked how satisfi ed they were with college and school leavers’ employability skills, two-thirds (68%) of employers were dissatisfi ed with levels of business and customer awareness, over half (57%) were unhappy with self-management skills and over two-fi fths (44%) with young recruits’ ability to solve problems.
• Despite the recession, nearly half of employers (45%) say they are already having diffi culty recruiting staff with skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), with manufacturers and science-related businesses having the most diffi culty fi nding highly-skilled people to fi ll their posts. Even more companies (59%) expect to have diffi culty fi nding STEM-skilled people in the next 3 years.
• Identifying and securing the best candidates is vital for UK businesses aiming to stay competitive as the UK economy begins to grow again.
“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 qualifi cations will intensify. In future people with qualifi cations in science and maths will be particularly sought after and fi rms say it is already hard to fi nd people with the right technical or engineering skills. The new government must make encouraging more young people to study science-related skills 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.”
Richard Lambert CBI Director General
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