Recruitment is the biggest single challenge for companies in the North East say business leaders and many firms are carrying significant vacancies they can’t fill, according to a survey by a regional business group.
The poll of more than 100 business leaders by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum found that filling jobs is harder now than it was before the pandemic and the number of vacancies at each business has increased. 72% of respondents said recruitment is more difficult than pre-pandemic while 25% reported no change and 3% said recruitment had become easier.
More than three-quarters of regional companies (79%) are currently advertising job vacancies, with 19% having 10 or more open positions and 4% having 50 or more vacancies. Businesses with significant vacancies were operating in sectors such as IT, hospitality, engineering and retail.
