Gráinne Gilmore
Times [UK]
5/17/2010
Fears that economic recovery will fail to stem a tide of rising unemployment are likely to be stoked today by revelations that businesses are reluctant or unable to recruit new staff.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales says in a report that although businesses’ confidence stabilised in the second quarter, they plan to increase their workforces by only 1.1 per cent in the coming year.
The CBI and EDI, a body that awards qualifications, meanwhile have found that companies are struggling to fill posts because they cannot find applicants with adequate skills and training. More than half of employers, they report, fear that in future they will not be able to fill posts requiring the right graduate level or higher skills and a third do not believe they will be able to fill vacancies requiring skills equivallent to A levels.
Richard Lambert, DirectorGeneral of the CBI, said: “Our survey shows businesses want tomorrow’s workforce to be at the top of the new Government’s policy agenda. As we move further into recovery and businesses plan for growth, the demand for people with high-quality skills and qualifications will intensify.” A fifth of employers are reported to have been forced to arrange remedial for young recruits in literacy, numeracy and IT in the past year in efforts to get their staff up to speed. [Emphasis CAJ]
The article continues at the Times.
