Responding to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which revealed a fall in vacancies, talent outsourcing and advisory services provider, AMS, has warned that skills development needs to be prioritised.
Steve Leach, Regional Managing Director, UK and Ireland at AMS comments:
“At a macro level, the vacancy slow-down is indicative of a response to the political and economic uncertainty of recent months, but that doesn’t mean that the skills crisis is over. The UK is facing an ever-shrinking workforce for a myriad of reasons beyond the widely discussed impacts of Covid and Brexit. In fact, earlier this month the ONS also reported that half a million UK workers dropped out of the workforce due to long-term illness between January 2019 and August 2022.
“The ability for employers to capture the skills they need in this economy – particularly tech skills which are applicable across every industry – is at risk. Given that we know that there are simply too few people in the workforce with the skills that businesses need today and for the future, ramping hiring won’t have the required impact and the latest data suggests that employers are increasingly recognising this.
“With hiring slowing but talent still in short supply, the skills agenda needs to be a priority for every stakeholder involved in the UK’s economic standing. Now more than ever, business leaders and government bodies need to back re- and up-skilling of the workforce. There’s an untapped pool of potential talent looking to grow their skills who simply don’t have access to the training they require to help them fill the resourcing needs today’s firms have, including older workers, those coming out of retirement and those switching careers. Despite the economic uncertainty, developing these skills needs to be a priority if firms are to bounce back when the markets do.”
