2018 Talent Shortage Survey
Solving the Talent
Shortage in the UK
In the digital age, technology is transforming how work gets done, creating new roles that require new skills.
At the same time, employers cannot find the people they need to fill open positions, and talent shortages are more acute than they have been for decades.
That's why we surveyed nearly 40,000 employers in 43 countries to learn more about the impact that talent shortages have on companies. We asked how much difficulty they are having filling roles compared to last year; which skills they most struggle to find and why; and what they are doing to solve talent shortages.
Read on to see what's driving this skills gap and discover a new approach to the talent shortage: build, buy, borrow or bridge to ensure your workforce has the talent it needs to remain competitive in the digital age.
Watch to Find Out More About the Talent Shortage
Talent Shortage by Company Size
In the UK, large companies with 250+ employees have the most difficulty filling job vacancies - with 50% of employers experiencing talent shortages. Large companies account for 0.1% of businesses in the UK, yet they employ 40% of the total workforce - demonstrating the significant impact this talent shortage will have on the wider labour market. Mid-sized organisations, with between 50 and 249 employees, are feeling the pinch too. 45% are struggling to attract the skills they need.
Which Roles Are Most Difficult to Fill in the UK?
Skilled Trades - such as electricians, welders, mechanics, and more - are the most difficult skills to find in the UK, followed by Drivers and Healthcare Professionals.
Top Drivers of Talent Shortage
Faced with near-record low levels of unemployment, the top driver of talent shortages in the UK is a lack of applicants. This is followed by a lack of experience and a lack of hard skills. As companies go digital and roles transform, finding candidates with the right blend of technical skills and human strengths, such as communication, collaboration and problem solving is more important than ever.
Color key
- Lack of applicants
- Lack of experience
- Applicants lack required hard skills
- Applicants lack required soft skills
- Applicants expect higher pay than offered
- Applicants expecting better benefits than offered
- An issue specific to my organization
- Other/don't know
Leveraging the Talent Shortage Research
Winning in the digital age demands faster, more targeted approaches than ever before. To keep pace in today's Skills Revolution an effective talent strategy should comprise a blend of four key elements: build, buy, borrow and bridge.
Build
INVEST IN LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT TO GROW YOUR TALENT PIPELINE
Buy
RECRUIT EXTERNAL TALENT THAT CANNOT BE BUILT IN-HOUSE
Borrow
CULTIVATE COMMUNITIES OF TALENT OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION
Bridge
HELP PEOPLE TO MOVE ON AND MOVE UP INTO NEW ROLES
What Does Success Look Like?
We help organisations from around the world to address their toughest talent challenges.
One example is Eishtec, a leading provider of business services outsourcing. When they won a significant contract with EE, they needed to increase their planned recruitment very quickly. With an office based in a low population area of just 44,000 people, where the majority of people commute 50 miles a day to work in Belfast, recruiting wouldn't be easy. That's where we came in.
Learn more about how Manpower supported Eishtec to overcome talent shortages in a low population area.
Let's Discuss Your Talent
Shortage Challenges
An organisation's unique challenges around talent shortage requires a personalised approach. As workforce experts, ManpowerGroup finds work for millions of people every year across 80 countries, helping hundreds of thousands of companies attract, assess, develop, and retain skilled workers.
Find out how we can help your organisation find and retain the best talent in this digital age.
Contact us
