Employers must maximise their team’s skillset in light of new ‘mismatch’ report

July 5, 2021

With a new report suggesting a mismatch between employer needs and employee skillsets – more needs to be done to fuel the talent pipeline, says a leading recruiter.

Research reveals that three in five adults (61 per cent) do not feel equipped with all the skills they will need over the next five years. But engaging with existing staff, offering employees the chance to upskill and employing part time or temporary staff are among the approaches that employers can successfully adopt to fulfil their long terms plans.

This is the view of Peterborough-based Anne Corder Recruitment, which has some advice for employers faced with the issue of skills-matching to enable their business to move forward post pandemic.

The skills index report by City & Guilds Group and Emsi, which polled 2,000 working-age adults, also found that nearly two-thirds of respondents (64 per cent) said they had not received any training in the past year.

The report said this was likely to be a result of the pandemic’s impact on training budgets, while three in 10 (30 per cent) have not received any formal workplace training in the last five years.

Nel Woolcott, Recruitment Partner, said: “With so many of us now working from home and many employees feeling dis-engaged or slightly removed from the team culture as a result lockdown-related circumstances, employers need to look at the bigger picture and where their staff fit in before putting steps in place to drive their business forward.

“Employers should ideally take a close look at the team they already have in place; engage with staff and identify ways in which they can ‘upskill’ members of the team to help in the delivery of their plan. For example, if they have an existing member of the team who is very active and passionate about social media – could that person become a social media ambassador for the business – this way you are already tapping into a skill which may only need a little additional training? Maybe there are other team members who are keen to take on a new role using skills they have or have obtained during their working from home accountability?

“If after this employers still have skill gaps, then this is the time to get in touch with their recruitment partner and tap into the talent pool.

“As recruiters, we understand that there is an element of cautiousness; particularly if employers have already had to make difficult decisions about staff. However, it is only by looking ahead to what their business goals are that they can successfully create a match.

“This doesn’t have to come from permanent staff, temporary or part time staff may tick all the boxes and offer the business even great flexibility. The needs of employers, staff and candidates may have shifted over the past 18 months, but the new agile way of working offers even great possibilities and prospects.”