You may have seen our post on Facebook this morning advertising for temporary workers to get in touch; to say there’s a shortage of candidates at the moment is an understatement. It’s not just us feeling the strain however, labour shortages are the new global pandemic according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation with them reporting that as the market currently stands we could see a fall in expected GDP by 1.2% by 2027 which will cost the economy between £30 and £39 billion every year. 

A significant cause of this is the fact that many candidates are lacking the skills required to fulfil positions. Last week we posted a blog about World Youth Skills Day which is aimed at raising awareness and tackling this very issue; opening up dialogue and educating young people with skills which will be relevant to roles and careers later in life. This lack of skills is directly impacting businesses as people are making more and more demands when it comes to choosing which role is right for them, it’s definitely a candidates market, particularly those who are trained and skilled in specific subjects, with a power which they have never had before.

Cost of living of course impacts the decisions people make when choosing a new career. Childcare costs have risen at an exponential rate in recent years, meaning those with children are having to choose between working or staying at home. Fuel costs are increasing the demand for hybrid and flexible working patterns, or working from home 100% of the time, post pandemic we are still seeing large amounts of people refusing to go back to the office, again putting strain on businesses and the recruitment process.

So what can be done? Bridging the gap between educational skills and workplace skills, particularly those in data and technology as it’s expected 5 million workers being under skilled in basic digital skills by 2030, a strong bond between businesses and educational settings, changing legislation for immigrants to attract skilled workers, offering training including learning English to assist with integration into work and society. Various things can be done but will take time. In the meantime, if you're looking for a job and are a skilled worker, get in touch with us today to hear how we can help.