Many employers are finding it difficult to recruit staff with the right skills despite high levels of unemployment, leading to calls for increased training, particularly for young people.

Research by the People 1st Training Company revealed that a quarter of businesses are struggling to find the right calibre of staff. The research revealed that despite high unemployment levels and an increasing desire to recruit new staff amongst businesses, employers are still being held back from recruiting new staff due to difficulties in finding those with the right skills.

The skills gap is particularly pronounced amongst those in the 18-24 age group, prompting calls for increased availability of training and apprenticeships to tackle growing youth unemployment. The research comes as the Government prepares to launch its new Work Programme, aiming to help those in long term unemployment to find work.

Karen Heslop, Senior Recruitment Consultant at DLC Recruitment, said “Finding the right staff is hugely important to the success of any business, and it’s concerning that employers are finding it difficult to recruit staff with the right skills for the job. Skills shortages can make finding staff more difficult, but employers could consider developing skills within the workplace by taking on apprentices or providing other forms of in-company training.”

“Developing staff in this way can be hugely beneficial to a business and can be a very cost-effective way of gaining highly loyal and motivated employees. Employers often find that the cost of training up a new member of staff works out to cheaper than paying higher salaries to more experienced workers.”