43% of employers expect skills crisis in 12 months
Employers must act now to avoid a skills crisis as a new poll shows 43% of them believe it could happen in the next 12 months, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) has warned.
The research from Prince’s Trust and HSBC also shows 73% of employers think a significant skills crisis could hit the UK in the next three years.
Almost three-quarters described recruiting young people as “vital” to prevent the shortage.
Alex Curling, assistant director at UKCES, said: “It is welcome news that so many businesses are seeing the recruitment of young people as the answer to this problem, but employers must now turn words into action to resolve this issue.
“Young people can bring a wealth of benefits to any business, but are desperately in need of more opportunities from employers to get into employment – our research has consistently highlighted that the main reason employers fail to recruit young people is a lack of experience, yet less than a third (27%) are prepared to offer work experience opportunities to young people.
“This leaves talented young people trapped in an impossible Catch-22. It is vital that employers take up this challenge, give young people the opportunities they need and avert any future skills crisis before it has a chance to develop.”
Click here for Prince’s Trust and HSBC’s Skills Crunch report. The research was based on interviews with 616 senior directors in businesses across the UK.
Natalie Thornhill
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