According to the Search Consultancy Skills Shortage Report, the sectors most affected by skills shortages are: Engineering & Manufacturing; Financial Services; Healthcare and Construction. The data presented comes from market research with over 1,000 senior managers across 20 sectors. Within healthcare 84% of survey respondents felt they were suffering from a lack of skilled workers, and that healthcare organisations were understaffed by 26%. The situation within health is clearly exacerbated by COVID-19. At the other end of the scale are marketing, legal and sales which are the three sectors least impacted with 66%, 58% and 52% of managers saying they have felt the effects of the skills shortage.
The region most affected is London, with 83% of those surveyed struggling with the impact of the skills shortage. As talent migrates north to more affordable cities, the skills gap in London is predicted to continue widening. According to the report, the five most in-demand jobs (listed in order of demand) throughout the UK are:
- Nurse
- IT Manager
- Engineer
- Admin staff
- Driver
Across all regions, more than half of businesses (52%) experienced issues filling mid-level positions within their organisation’s managerial roles, while a further 29% struggled to fill entry-level roles. 27% have had difficulty hiring senior leaders. At entry-level, the construction industry struggles the most as 36% of businesses find it difficult to fill these roles. By comparison, when it comes to senior hires the construction industry struggles the least with only 12% of businesses having difficulty making senior appointments.
The most desirable workforce requirements revealed by the survey were: a good education cited by 64% of managers; followed by the ability to work as part of a team (63%); and an overall positive attitude (61%).
You can read the full report by Search Consultancy here
