According to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, almost one in four jobs currently remains unfilled as a result of a lack of skilled workers. All the statistics point to a significant skills shortage in the UK in some fairly key areas. But what part can recruitment agencies play and how are agencies helping to bridge the skills gap across multiple sectors?
The UK skills shortage continues
The statistics in the UK Commission for Employment and Skills survey highlight just how much of a problem the current skills gap is. Even more worrying is the fact that it has more than doubled over the past four years. There are now around 209,000 jobs not filled in the UK because there simply aren’t the right candidates to fill the position. That’s an increase of 130% on the figures since the last survey was conducted in 2013 and some sectors are suffering more than others – for example, the financial services and business services industry has more than 57,000 positions that are currently not filled. Other areas also heavily affected include professional services, digital technology and IT.
Where do recruitment agencies enter the picture?
A good recruiter can help to find the right candidate to fill the right role – that much is obvious. But if there just aren’t enough candidates to fill the available positions, how can recruiters help? Contractors and temporary workers have become a backbone of the UK economy and have a lot to offer those sectors currently struggling to make their numbers up. There are more than 1.6 million contractors and temporary workers in the UK, with a diverse range of skill sets and broad availability that makes them ideal for supporting the UK employment market through this challenging time.
Contractors and the UK jobs market
Recent research has shown that the UK market of contractors and temporary workers is continuing to expand. It is likely to go on expanding over the next five years, as more and more people choose this way of working. One of the primary drivers for this expansion is the fact that there is such demand for contract workers as a result of skills shortages across key industries. They represent a solution to the problem of enabling businesses to continue setting and reaching goals and objectives and driving industry forward to support the UK economy.
The benefits of working with temporary workers
- Providing specialist expertise – temporary workers have the expertise to help fill key skills gaps that may be holding a business back
- Essential temporary support – contractors are an ideal temporary solution to the UK skills shortage, providing expertise while longer term solutions are found
- Offering a greater degree of flexibility – the unpredictable nature of the current jobs market means that contractors are perfectly suited; with the right recruitment agency, the relevant legislation and regulations can be easily managed.
Contact 2i Recruit today if you’d like to find out more about how we could help you to fill a skills shortage within your business.
Contact 2i Recruit