The 2022 UK Skills Shortages Report: Data from 160+ Senior Recruitment Professionals

The UK’s skills shortages have been well documented for some time now. In a post-Covid and Brexit-hit landscape, competition for the best, highly-skilled professionals is rife. Throughout 2022 so far, we’ve seen the Office for National Statistics (ONS) report record-breaking vacancy numbers while unemployment levels have dropped. Employers from a range of sectors have vocalised their concerns around the availability of talent – with specialist STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills in particularly high demand but increasingly short supply.

The potential impact this shortage of talent could have on the UK’s economy has been acknowledged, and the recent ‘Mini Budget’ announced by the new Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, has set out some steps to help bolster our labour market. However, in order to ascertain what action is needed to boost the country’s professional skills, it’s first important to take a look at where the gaps are being felt most, what employers and recruiters are already implementing to address this talent gap and what success has been achieved so far. Only once we have this benchmark can we steer recruitment strategies in the right direction.

If you are a staffing industry professional or an employer aiming to plan an effective recruitment strategy in 2022 and beyond, you probably want to know:

• What are the reasons driving the skill shortages, and how recruitment agencies and employers are addressing them?
• How are the skill shortages impacting the staffing industry and employers
• What strategies are recruitment professionals leveraging today? And, most importantly, what are their strategies for 2022 and beyond

By partnering with APSCo and Ian Knowlson of Talence, we launched a Staffing industry survey to help fellow recruitment professionals answer the questions above – and gain further insights into 2022 planning.

Our Survey Sample

The data presented comes from market research of over 160 senior recruitment industry professionals giving us the true representation of the current landscape. In this report, we have aimed to lay down the factors that impact the industry’s growth due to Skill Shortages. This report will not only help in understanding this crisis better, but also in giving direction towards solving this problem.

‘’Overcoming the Skills Shortages: What needs to change’’ Key Findings

• Across all sectors, competition for talent is high, with 51% of recruitment professionals saying Covid has increased competition for already in-demand skills, exacerbating the shortage of candidates.
• 32% of the recruiters believe that digital/tech skills are in the shortest supply at the moment
• With attrition rates the highest in years, 61% of employers are failing to scale their businesses
• A majority of respondents said easier access to international talent (including non-UK contractors) can help address skills shortages
• Southern England, the South West, the North West, North Yorkshire and Wales are highly affected by the staff shortage problem.

What Needs to Change? Book a Free Strategy Consultation

Did you know that the inability to find qualified candidates is the number one reason driving the skill shortage? According to the survey, only 35% of respondents are confident that skills shortages will be resolved in the next five years. The problem of skill shortages cannot be ignored. Our survey outcomes will help analyse the impact of the UK’s skill shortages on the recruitment industry and make strategic changes in workforce management going forth.

If you want to refine your own talent acquisition strategy, you can book a free strategy consultation with our team.

Originally published Sep 28, 2022 02:09:14, updated Jul 05 2024

Topics: Recruitment Solutions, Skills Shortages, Survey Report