Core contracting disciplines, including IT, engineering, accountancy, finance and interim management, are in the global top ten of hardest to fill roles, according to ManpowerGroup’s Annual Talent Shortage Survey.
The survey shows those positions clients find hardest to fill are similar in the UK to the global league table. However, only 13% of UK clients and employers complain of being unable to fill roles in contrast to the global average of 35%.
Contractors with in-demand skills may find contract markets in Germany and France attractive, as 35% and 33% respectively of clients in those countries have difficult in filling jobs.
The top ten jobs contractor clients and employers are finding hardest to fill in the UK are:
- Skilled trades workers
- Engineers
- Drivers
- Office support staff
- Chefs/cooks
- Management/executives
- IT staff
- Technicians
- Customer service representatives and customer support
- Sales representatives.
Engineering has been knocked from its top spot in 2012 by skilled trades, and IT has fallen from sixth place in 2012 to seventh in 2013.
Although accountancy and finance features in the global top ten of roles hardest to fill, the category does not appear in the UK top ten, as it did in 2012. This may be as a result of the high number of financial sector roles lost during the recession, which has left a large pool of available candidates and a smaller number of roles.
Among common reasons why assignments can’t be filled, clients cite a lack of experience, not enough suitable candidates, a lack of hard technical skills and industry-specific qualifications and certifications.
According to the survey of UK client organisations and employers, the impact is serious, resulting in a “reduced ability to service clients”, “reduced competitiveness and productivity” and “reduced innovation and creativity”.
“Year-after-year, we see little difference in the roles employers have trouble filling,” notes ManpowerGroup president Jonas Prising on the survey findings.
ManpowerGroup offers a range of strategies to help client and employer organisations to meet their talent shortage challenges. These include using flexible workers, such as contractors, whose use is “increasingly the norm”.
The recruiter also recommends creating “a culture of teachable fit”, which could benefit contractors. It suggests that clients should not limit themselves to “a checklist of non-negotiable attributes and skills”, and focus instead on emotional intelligence and transferable skills, which feature on most contractors’ CVs.